The Fox Scroll
by SpiritSage124
Summary: Due to a mysterious scroll and a certain Celestial Spirit mage, Naruto is brought to the land of magic. There he will inevitably form bonds, face many hardships, and possibly find love. Will he find a way home, or even want to return? One thing is for sure. Fairy Tail will never be the same again!
1. The Strange Scroll

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised of of 12/29/2016**

* * *

 **Konoha Gates...**

Three men stood at the front gates of the great village Konohagakure for the last member of their group.

"Hey Naruto! Are you ready to leave for the mission?" One of the men called out to a young teenager, who was running towards them with haste.

"Yeah, sorry Yamato-Taicho, I just forgot something." Naruto responded back running up to the group.

He had been called to go on a mission with Yamato, Gai, and Aoba. What that mission was, he didn't know yet.

"So what exactly are we going to be doing on this mission?" Naruto asked eagerly. The old lady Hokage had told him it was a super-secret S-Ranked mission and that she could only trust him to do it, so saying that he was a little excited would be a bit of an understatement.

Gai did his trademark nice-guy pose and grinned. "That is a most youthful question Naruto! Our mission is to-"

 **Poof!**

Before he could finish explaining what their mission was, Naruto suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"...Naruto?"

* * *

 **Hargeon Town...**

Lucy was sulking to herself on a park bench. "Stingy old man only giving a tiny discount and this old looking scroll. What's in this thing anyway?" She opened the scroll and found and a drawing of a fox with nine tails in it. "A fox painting? Is this all my sex-appeal is worth!?"

While she was raging, Lucy unconsciously gave off a little magic, and some of it seeped into the scroll.

 **Poof!**

"Wah!"

"OOF!"

Something suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a cloud of smoke and fell to the ground. When the vapor cleared away, Lucy was able to see what it was. Or in this case, who it was.

It was a boy who looked to be around her age. He had spikey blonde hair, bright blue eyes and three whisker-like marks on his cheeks. He was wearing a bright orange and black jacket with a matching pair of orange pants. Black open toed sandals adorned his feet and his forehead was covered by a metal headband with a strange symbol on it.

"Wh-who are you!?" Lucy all but screamed at the guy.

"Huh? What the heck just happened? Who are you?" He asked but wasn't answered.

Lucy looked at the scroll. 'Did he just come out of this scroll? I must have accidentally channeled some magic into it.' She was pulled out of her thoughts when a hand waved in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to blond girl. OI!" Naruto asked impatiently, not being the type that liked being ignored.

"Oh! Sorry, I'm Lucy. Were you trapped in this scroll?" She asked with a bright smile.

Well that was a complete turnaround in attitude, he had to be careful of what he said around this girl. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and no, I wasn't trapped in that scroll. Where am I?" Naruto asked while looking around.

"Oh. Well nice to meet you Naruto, right now you're in Hargeon Town."

The boy frowned. "Hargeon Town? I've never heard of a place like that in the Elemental Nations before."

Lucy blinked and tilted her head to the side. "Elemental Nations? What's that?"

Naruto sent the girl a flat look. How did she not know what the Elemental Nations were? "Um, it's the name of the continent we are currently standing on."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Was he trying to pull her leg or something? "This is the kingdom of Fiore. As far as I know, there isn't a place in Earthland called the Elemental Nations."

This time it was Naruto's turn to raise an eyebrow. He was about to call her bluff when they heard a commotion nearby.

"Did you hear? The great fire mage Slamander-Sama is here!"

"No way! Really!?"

"Salamander-Sama!"

Lucy gasped "Salamander? THE Salamander from Fairy Tail is here?" She squealed in excitement and ran off towards the crowd.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Naruto called out and ran after the girl.

When they reached the crowd, they fought their way to the front and found a man wearing fancy robes signing autographs.

Naruto scoffed.

"This guy doesn't look all that special." He said and looked over at Lucy, only to sweat-drop when he saw her eyes had hearts in them as she sighed dreamily. 'You've gotta be kidding me...' Naruto looked back at the popular man again and felt something weird in the air. 'This feeling… A genjutsu?' Naruto thought as he put one hand in a seal and the other on Lucy's shoulder, then brought forth some chakra from his vast reserves.

" **Kai**!"

With a burst of chakra, the weird feeling disappeared and he looked at Lucy again to find her now glaring at the man in the middle of the crowd. She really did change her emotions a lot.

"What's up with you?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That guy is using an illegal magic called Charm." Lucy said without looking at him.

"Magic? What kind of jutsu is that?" Naruto asked, earning a strange look from the girl.

While they weren't looking, a boy with pink hair had snuck in through the crowd and ran up to Salamander. "Igneel! Is that you?" He shouted, gaining the attention of the whole crowd, including Naruto and Lucy.

As soon as the boy's excitement had come, it vanished and he started to walk away in disappointment. "Another dead end huh?"

The crowd didn't seem to like this and began to beat him up, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Poor guy, he should have known better than to mess with fan-girls." He said with a shiver, remembering the beatings he got from Sasuke's followers.

Seemingly satisfied with their beat-down, the girls walked away in a huff. Naruto and Lucy walked over to the fallen boy and helped him up.

"Hey, you okay? That was quite the beating you took." Lucy asked in concern.

"Yeah thanks, what was their problem? Name's Natsu by the way." He greeted with a bright smile.

Returning the smile, Lucy introduced themselves. "I'm Lucy, and this is Naruto. Those people were under the effects of an illusion spell, so don't take it personally."

"Spell? Okay what exactly is magic?" Naruto really wanted to know what is was that Lucy was talking about.

Though before she could say anything, both Naruto and Natsu's stomachs growled rather loudly.

"Ugg..." Naruto grumbled while holding his stomach. "I was in such a hurry this morning I forgot to eat."

"Same…" Natsu said, also holding his growling stomach.

Lucy sighed and pointed towards a restaurant. "We can talk while we eat if you want."

"Yes please!" They both said in unison.

"Can I have some fish?"

Naruto and Lucy looked down to find a little blue cat wearing a backpack.

"A talking cat!?" Lucy yelled out in surprise.

"Are you a summon?" Naruto asked looking at the cat.

"No, I'm Happy." The cat replied.

"Oh, nice to meet you." Naruto said and casually started to walk towards the restaurant with Natsu and Happy, leaving Lucy standing there at a loss of words.

"He accepted a talking cat, just like that?"

* * *

After ten bowls of ramen, Naruto belched and rubbed his stomach happily.

Lucy just stared at the boy with a mixed expression of awe and disgust. Shaking her head, she decided to start up a conversation. "So, you saved me from the Charm magic, right? Are you a mage? What kind of magic do you use?" She asked a little too eagerly, getting closer and closer to his face with each question.

Putting a hand up to get some space, Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm not a mage. I'm a ninja. What I used was a release technique to dispel that guy's genjustu."

"Oh, well thanks anyway." Lucy said and smiled. She still didn't really understand, but she could always ask him about it later.

Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched his cheek. "It was no big deal, really."

"She likes you..." Happy teased.

"Sh-shut up you stupid cat!" Lucy stuttered, her cheeks turning red. "Who do you think is paying for your meal?"

The cat stuffed his face into his fish. "I'm Sowwy Lucy-Sama!"

Naruto laughed at their interaction.

"Hey Naruto, what's that chakra stuff you keep mentioning?" Natsu asked between bites.

"Hm? Oh, well chakra is the energy I use to do my techniques. Like ninjutsu." Naruto then rubbed the back of his head. "I would tell you more about it but I'm not very good at explaining things. I didn't really pay attention when I was taught all this stuff."

"Where exactly are you from?" Lucy chimed in. "You say you don't know what Fiore is, or even magic."

"Wait you don't know where this place is?" Natsu asked with an amused look.

Naruto sighed. "All I remember is one moment I'm about to go on an important mission, and the next I'm here."

Lucy brought out the scroll and opened it. "It's gotta be this scroll's doing."

Naruto looked at the scroll with interest. "Hey, let me see that for a second."

"Oh, sure." She said and handed him the scroll.

"This is...!" When Naruto opened the scroll, he was surprised to find a painting of the nine tailed fox in it. 'The Kyuubi... Does that mean this is a summoning scroll?' If this was a summoning scroll, then where in the world was he?

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Where did you get this?" Naruto asked with a bit of urgency in his tone.

"I got it from this town's magic store. Why?" Lucy said, he was starting to worry her a little.

Naruto looked back at the scroll. "I think this is a summoning scroll. Back where I come from, it's what we use to move things from great distances in an instant. Seeing as no one seems to know what the Elemental Nations is, I'm guessing I'm a long way from home."

While Lucy processed the information, Natsu snorted. "Maybe you got summoned from another dimension!" He joked and laughed.

Naruto's eyes widened, maybe he really was in another dimension. As silly as that sounded, it would kind of make sense. He couldn't read the menus of the restaurant, and he'd never heard of a kingdom named Fiore in his life.

He shook his head, it was best not to jump to conclusions. He'd never heard of a scroll that could pull someone into another dimension. Maybe he really was just far away from home. After all, his knowledge on geography wasn't the best.

Having decided on a plan, Naruto stood up from his seat. "I'm gonna go ask that shop keeper if he knows anything. Thanks for the food." He said and waved goodbye.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" Lucy put money on the table and turned to Natsu and Happy. "This should cover for the food, nice to meet you guys!"

The two got up from their seats and got on their hands and knees to bow. "Thank you very much!" They said together.

Getting embarrassed over the stares they were drawing she yelled at them and ran off after Naruto. She couldn't just let the guy wonder off on his own and get lost.

"Naruto!" Lucy called after the shinobi, who was currently standing in front of the restaurant with a hand on his chin.

"Huh?" Naruto turned around and saw Lucy come out of the restaurant. "Lucy? What are you doing here?"

Lucy stopped right next to him and sent him a flat look. "Do you even know where the magic store is?"

Naruto realized he had no idea where he was going and scratched his cheek. "Hehe, nope. Mind helping me out?"

Lucy sighed. "You're hopeless, you know that?" She grabbed his arm and led the way.

* * *

"Sorry, but I don't know where that thing came from. I just found it in my shop and was giving off a special feeling." The shop owner explained and the two sighed and left the shop.

"Where did this thing come from?" Naruto wondered aloud while looking at the strange scroll in his hand. The idea of him being in another dimension was starting to sound more likely to him now.

"We could ask a mage guild for help." Lucy suggested.

Naruto looked up from the scroll and raised an eyebrow. "A magic guild? What's that?"

"It's a place where mages gather and go on missions to help people and get rewards. I want to join Fairy Tail!" She explained with starry eyes.

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds like a good place to start. Sure, I'm down. So where is this Fairy Tail?"

They were both startled when a man walked out of the bushes behind them. "You guys want to join Fairy Tail?" Salamander asked coolly.

Naruto pointed an accusing finger at him. "Dude! Not cool! Who randomly comes out of bushes like that!?"

Lucy sweatdropped. 'Coming from a ninja...'

The man shrugged it off. "Never mind that, I heard you wanted to join Fairy Tail, is this true?" He asked with a glint in his eye, one that Naruto instantly disliked.

"I don't like this guy, Lucy. Let's leave." Naruto said and started walking away, but he was quickly cut off by Salamander.

"Wait wait wait!" He said frantically before regaining his cool. "I'm having a party tonight. If you show up I can probably get the master to let you join."

"I can join Fairy Tail!?" Lucy beamed, but Naruto seemed skeptical.

"I don't know..." Something sounded a little off about all of this and Naruto didn't like.

"Yes, I am a famous mage from that guild after all. Just come to my party and you can join." He said and he started walking away, but not before glancing back at Naruto. "Oh, and just the lady, no men allowed." With that he disappeared back into the bushes.

'Well I didn't want to go to your stupid party anyways…' Naruto thought with a scowl and turned to Lucy, who was jumping for joy.

"If I go to his party I can join Fairy Tail!" Lucy cheered.

"I don't know Lucy, that guy was pretty sketchy."

She waved him off. "Ah don't worry, I'll just put up with him for the party and we can go to Fairy Tail!"

Still unconvinced, Naruto frowned. But he reluctantly nodded. "If you say so..."

* * *

 **Later That Evening...**

Naruto sat at the docks as he waited for Lucy to return from the party.

"Guess I might as well take a nap while I'm waiting…"

He leaned back to get some sleep when he noticed something in the sky, and it was flying towards ship that the party was being held on.

"Natsu?" Naruto wondered aloud when he took a closer look. Did Happy always have wings?

A couple minutes passed and Naruto was about to go and investigate when he noticed a large wave making its way towards him.

"Whoa!"

Naruto jumped out of harm's way and onto one of the nearby buildings.

As the wave crashed onto the docks, he watched as the boat slid onto the harbor. Taking a closer look, he could see Natsu on the ship fighting Salamander.

Well, fighting was a bit of an overstatement. The pink haired teen was beating the living tar out of the guy. "Did Natsu just eat fire…?"

"Naruto!"

He looked down and saw Lucy and Happy waving at him, trying to get his attention. Naruto jumped down, surprising them with the action, and met with them halfway. When he got to them, he noticed that they were both soaked to the bone.

"Hey guys, what happened?"

Lucy gained a sour look on her face. "That guy wasn't the real Salamander, he was a fake tricking girls into becoming slaves."

Naruto frowned deeply and cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna teach that guy a lesson-"

"That won't be necessary." Happy interrupted, gaining Naruto and Lucy's attention. "Natsu is the real Salamander of Fairy Tail." He said with a surprisingly dark expression, and the two looked at the cat in surprise.

Natsu, having just finished his "fight" with the fake, was now walking towards the group.

Naruto pointed at him. "How come you didn't tell us you were a member of Fairy Tail?"

Natsu just stared at him blankly and shrugged. "You didn't ask."

"Get them!"

"They destroyed the Harbor!"

The group turned when they heard the shouts coming from across the street, a group of men in robes with a cross design on their chests were running towards them with angry looks on their faces.

Natsu paled and grabbed Naruto and Lucy by the hands before he starting pulling them. "Crap, Rune Knights, we gotta go!" He yelled as they ran, Happy flying just above them.

"Where are we going?" Naruto and Lucy both asked.

Natsu grinned a toothy grin. "To Fairy Tail!"

* * *

 **A/N: This story takes place right after the five kage summit, and right before Naruto goes to train with Killer Bee on the giant turtle.**

 **I've always wanted to write my own crossover fic, I just never did it until now.**

 **This is my first story so I'm sorry if it feels like I'm sticking too close to canon. I do have plans though...**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	2. You'll Fit Right In!

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised of of 12/29/2016**

* * *

 **Magnolia Town...**

Naruto looked up at the old building in front of him. "So, this is Fairy Tail?"

"Yeah, home sweet home!" Natsu said with a bright smile.

Lucy was literally shaking with excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's go!" She said and pushed the two boys through the doors, Happy just followed behind them casually.

When they walked in, the place seemed like it was an ordinary bar. People were seated around the place, drinking and having casual conversations.

That is until Natsu jumped onto a table, knocking a shirtless guy to the ground in the process. "Hey, I'm back!"

The person who was knocked down got up and growled in anger. "What was that for flames for brains!?"

Natsu looked down with a challenging glare. "What was that snowballs!?"

The two then proceeded to brawl and eventually the who place seemed to get dragged into it.

Naruto and Lucy just stood there and watched the bar fight awkwardly, both not really sure what do. This continued for a while until they noticed someone at the bar calling them over.

"Hello, can I help you?" Asked a gorgeous young woman. She had white hair worn in a small upward pony-tail and was wearing a red dress with pink.

Lucy gasped, immediately recognizing who this girl was. "You're Mirajane! The real Mirajane! My name is Lucy, and this is Naruto."

Mirajane giggled at the celestial spirit mage's enthusiasm. "Nice to meet you both."

"Shouldn't we stop those guys?" Naruto asked and pointed at the chaos in front of them. "If this goes on the whole place might go down."

The barmaid just waved it off nonchalantly as a bottle flew over her head, literally missing by a hair. "Oh, don't worry about them. This normal here."

The fighting was getting crazier and everyone looked like they were about to get serious.

'This doesn't look good' Naruto thought and moved in front of the two girls defensively.

" **THAT'S ENOUGH YOU FOOLS!"**

Naruto jumped in shock as the booming voice caused everyone in the building to stop. Daring to see the owner of the voice, he turned around to find a giant standing right behind him. "EHHHHH!?"

The giant looked down at Naruto and Lucy. **"HMM… NEWCOMERS?"**

They both gulped. "Y-yes... sir?"

The giant then shrunk down until he was only a small old man. "Nice to meet you." He greeted cheerfully.

All Naruto could do was look at the old man in disbelief as he jumped onto the balcony of the second floor of the guild, and then proceeding to pull out some papers before coughing into his hand to get everyone's attention.

"You did it again, fools!" He yelled and began to read off some of the things that the members destroyed, and Naruto was surprised when he began to hear all the things the guild has destroyed.

Shaking his head, Naruto then turned to Mirajane. "That's the Master here?"

Mirajane nodded. "Yup! That's master Makarov."

Makarov burned the papers in his hands and threw them to Natsu, who gobbled up the flames. "The council members are always mad at me… But who cares! If you worry about what the higher ups think then you won't get stronger! Do not fear those fools in the council! We are Fairy Tail!" He yelled and the guild members cheered.

Naruto smiled, this old man sort of reminded him of the third Hokage, if the third was a really short old man who wore silly elf clothes and didn't seem to care what the authorities thought… Maybe they weren't so similar.

Makarov jumped off the balcony and landed on the counter next to Mirajane. "So, what brings you two to Fairy Tail?"

"My friend here would like to join your guild." Naruto answered and Lucy looked at the master hopefully.

"I don't see a problem, since she's cute…." Makarov said, and Naruto nearly face-faulted. "Mira-Chan, would you?"

Mirajane nodded and took the cheering teen to get her guild stamp.

"And what of you?"

'Well, here goes nothing…' Naruto thought and let out nervous breath. "This might sound crazy but, I'm not exactly from here..."

"Oh? And where might you be from?" The old man asked and took a sip of his beer.

"What if I told you I'm from a different dimension?

Makarov spewed his drink all over in surprise. He then looked at Naruto in disbelief and saw his serious expression.

'This brat's not lying.' Makarov hopped down and started walking towards the stairs which led to the second floor of the building. "Come with me to my office."

Naruto nodded and followed. 'This is going to be fun…'

* * *

Makarov looked at the scroll in front of him. "So, you come from a place called the Elemental Nations and were brought here because of this scroll?"

Naruto nodded. "That's what I'm thinking, though I can't tell if the scroll was a summoning jutsu or your world's magic. I know it sounds silly, but seeing as no one seems to know what the Elemental Nations are, I'm starting to think it's true."

Makarov nodded, he could see where the boy was coming from. "Where did the scroll come from?"

The blonde shrugged. "Lucy got it at a magic shop, but the owner didn't even know where it came from."

Makarov sighed. "I don't know what to say. The scroll somehow ripped you from your dimension and into ours. I've never heard of any magic like this. Except maybe..." He paused.

"Maybe...?" Naruto repeated.

"There is a member in our guild that may know a little about dimensional travel."

Naruto's face brightened at this information. "Really!? Who is it? Where can I find them?"

The old man chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm, he was beginning to like this kid. "His name is Mystogan. But he's out on a mission right now and is just about impossible to track. Your best bet would be to wait for him to come back to the guild for another mission."

"Oh..." Naruto seemed to deflate into seat.

Makarov put on a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, he shouldn't be gone for long. You're welcome to hang around the guild until he returns."

Naruto gave Makarov a thankful smile. "Thanks, old man!"

Makarov faulted at being call old, but quickly recovered and coughed into hand. "Well I'd like to know a little more about your home land. It was called Konoha I believe?"

Naruto nodded, not seeing a reason to be secretive. He was asking for the man's help, and he seemed trustworthy.

Makarov continued. "And in Konoha, your people don't use magic, but this chakra you called it?"

"Yeah, there are five hidden villages in The Elemental Nations, Konoha being the one I'm from, and our armies consist of ninja, or shinobi." Naruto stated proudly while pointing at his headband.

"You are one of these ninjas?"

"Yup. Ninja are ranked from genin, to chunin, then lastly jonin. With genin being the lowest."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Which of these ranks are you?"

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well technically I'm still a genin... But that's only because I wasn't there for the last chunin exams!" He said and pouted childishly at the last part.

Makarov bellowed with laughter. "I like you boy. How would you like to join Fairy Tail?"

Naruto stopped pouting and looked at the master. "Me, join? But I'm not even from here."

Makarov shrugged. "What if I told you that's not the strangest thing I've seen in this guild? You'll fit right in!"

"I don't know how long I'll even be here, I gotta find a way back home." Naruto said with a slight frown. The people here seemed nice, and joining this place would probably be fun. But he had promises to keep. 'Sasuke…'

Seeing the troubled look on the youth's face, Makarov sighed. "Tell you what, you can think about it for now. Go downstairs and get yourself something to eat, but keep the dimensional business between us for now."

Naruto nodded thankfully and left the room.

Makarov frowned at the scroll in front of him. 'This scroll... I hope it's not what I think it is.'

* * *

Naruto sighed as he walked down the steps, the reality of things hitting him like a train. He hadn't really given it much thought till now with everything that had been going on, but he was stuck in another world with no way back.

'What am I going to do if this Mystogan guy doesn't come back for days, or even weeks. I don't even have a place to sleep.' He thought and walked over to the bar, which he assumed was where they served food.

'Oh well, best not to think too hard on it now.' Naruto thought and put on a smile. "Hey Mirajane-Chan, could I get something to eat?"

"Sure. You can just call me Mira, everyone calls me that." She said then walked off to fix Naruto something to eat.

"Thanks Mira-Chan." Naruto sat at the bar to wait for his food and his stomach growled from hunger. 'I wonder where Lucy is?' He thought as he began to twirl a little on his seat. It's not like Lucy had promised to help him find a way home, but she just seemed like the type that liked to help others. At least that's what he got from her. She did goes as far as helping him find the magic shop.

"Hey, are you the guy that came here with the new girl?"

Naruto turned around and saw a guy in his boxers standing behind him send him a lazy wave. He noted that it was the same person Natsu had picked a fight with earlier. "Umm… Where are your clothes?"

The guy looked to see that he indeed had no clothes on. "Ah crap!" He ran off to find his missing garments.

Naruto sweatdropped before feeling a tap on his shoulder. Turning around again, he found a brown-haired woman wearing a bikini top and jeans take a seat on the stool next to him. He could already feel his face heating up from the way she was smiling at him.

"That was Gray, he has a bad habit of leaving his clothes everywhere." She said and rolled her brown eyes. "Name's Cana, what's your name sweetheart?"

Naruto laughed nervously, feeling his cheeks burn a little brighter. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you, Cana."

She leaned in a little closer. "Those are some cute whisker marks. Are they real?"

"Y-yeah." Naruto said, growing even more flustered. Did he just stutter!? Curse this nervousness! Why was he acting like this!?

Cana almost squealed from the blonde's reaction. 'How cute!'

"Hey Cana, stop teasing the new guy. It's un-manly!"

They both looked up to see a giant of a man walk up to them.

Cana sweatdropped. 'That's because I'm not a man...'

"Hey, the name's Elfman." He said with a grin.

Naruto grinned back. "Nice to meet you, Elfman."

Before long, people from all over the guild had gathered around to say hello to the ninja.

"Hey what kind of magic do you use?"

"Wanna join our team?"

"What's with those weird clothes?"

Not used to the attention, Naruto was starting to get a little overwhelmed.

Mirajane came to his rescue, carrying a tray of hot food in her hands. "Now now everyone, let's give Naruto some space to eat."

Naruto cried anime tears. 'Mira-Chan!'

Mira simply smiled and placed a plate full of food in front of him. "Here you go."

"Thanks!" Naruto said and began to wolf down the food. "This is great!"

* * *

After Naruto finished eating he spent the next couple of hours talking with some of the members of Fairy Tail. So far, he'd met some interesting characters. Gray, who was the guy that always seemed to lose his clothing, was a pretty chill dude. He learned that the guy didn't get along with Natsu at all and were fighting again. Which kind of reminded him of his rivalry with Sasuke.

Elfman, who he learned was Mirajane's younger brother, reminded him of Lee back at home. Well, that is if Lee was a giant of a man that was obsessed with being manly that is.

Naruto was now sitting at a table with Cana, Elfman, and Team Shadow Gear.

"So, Lucy left with Natsu to go find this Macao person?" Naruto had asked where the girl had gone since she was nowhere to be found.

"Yeah, knowing Natsu and his keen sense of smell they shouldn't be gone for too long." Cana said and took a swig from her barrel. Yes, a barrel. Naruto just couldn't get over how much the girl could drink. She was already on her second barrel! He was sure that she'd even be able to out drink old lady Tsunade.

"Hey Naruto, what kind of magic do you use?" The blue haired girl he came to know as Levy asked, she was a member of Team Shadow Gear.

'Oh yeah, dimensional stuff in a no go...' The blond thought and rubbed his chin. "Um, well where I'm from we call magic chakra. As for techniques, I know a few."

"Can you show us?"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess I can show you a few. Though most of my techniques are a little too destructive to use inside." He got up from his seat and put his hands in a hand seal.

" **Henge!"**

A burst of smoke consumed Naruto and he transformed into Elfman.

"Whoa!"

"It's just like Mira-Chan!"

Elfman stood up and slung an arm around the transformed shinobi. "What a man! Ahahaha!"

"That's quite a manly thing to say!"

"Thanks man!"

Everyone laughed and Naruto changed back to normal.

"What else can you do?" Droy, another member of Team Shadow Gear asked.

"This!" Naruto jumped onto the nearest wall and stuck to it with chakra, then proceeded to run up to the ceiling and stand upside down.

"He can stick to walls too?"

"Cool!"

Naruto dropped back down to his seat. "I'd show you more, but I gotta save some tricks for later ya know?"

"You said you're not from here, do you have a place to stay?" Cana asked.

Naruto remembered that he didn't. "Now that you mention it-"

 **Slam!**

Everyone's attention was drawn to the front of the guild when the doors burst open.

"Hey everyone! We brought back Macao!" Natsu yelled and charged at Gray, who was looking for his clothes again.

Everyone went to see Macao who was a bit bruised up, but for the most part seemed alright.

"Naruto, there you are." Lucy said and walked over to the ninja.

"Hey Lucy, so the search went well then?" Naruto asked looking over at a now laughing Macao.

"Yeah…" Lucy said tiredly and slumped onto the seat next to him. "Fairy Tail mages sure are amazing though. Macao had defeated nineteen giant monkeys before being taken over by the twentieth."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Taken over?"

Lucy nodded. "I just learned about it too. It's a type of magic that you can use to take over someone's body."

"That's sounds creepy…" Naruto said before shuddering. That magic reminded him of Orochimaru and how he tried to take over Sasuke's body.

"Hey Naruto, are you going to join Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked while looking at her stamp with a bright smile.

"I don't know yet. I just don't think it would be a good idea to join if I'm just going to leave when I find a way back home." Naruto said with a shrug.

Lucy frowned, the thought of parting ways with her new friend made her a little sad. But it only made. Naruto was from another dimension, and she was sure he had people waiting for him back home. "I guess that's true. Did you get any info from the master about the scroll?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, he didn't know anything about it. But he did tell me to wait here for a member named Mystogan."

"Mystogan?" Lucy tapped her chin in thought. "I think I've heard of him. Though I don't know anything about him, just that he's pretty mysterious."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah, for now though I should worry about finding a place to stay."

'Oh yeah that's right. He doesn't have anywhere to go…' Lucy thought, and she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. So after giving it some thought, she spoke. "Well, I found a nice cheap apartment today. If you don't have anywhere else to go... I guess you could stay with me."

Naruto looked at Lucy in surprise. Did she just offer him a place to stay? "Really? Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

She played with her hair. "Well, yeah of course. It's kinda my fault that you're stuck here and all, so this is the least I can do."

Naruto grinned widely. "Hehe, thanks!"

Lucy smiled back, a tad bit of red in her cheeks. Wait, did she just offer to let a boy stay with her?

"They like each other..." Happy said while giggling to himself. The cat must have sat at their table at some point in their conversation.

"S-shut up, you useless cat!" Lucy yelled and chased after the laughing feline.

Naruto just laughed at them. Since he was stuck here anyway, he might as well have some fun.

* * *

 **A Couple Days Later...**

The last couple of days with Fairy Tail were... unique.

For Naruto to stay at the apartment Lucy had found, the rent was raised since there were two people staying in it. They came to an agreement that they would split the rent between and did a couple of jobs from the guild's request board.

Their first job at Fairy Tail was to find a book for the client and destroy it. The task was easy. All they had to do was sneak into a rich man's house to obtain the book. Being the skilled ninja he was, Naruto got them in with no problems.

They got the book with no detection until they were about to leave, they were found by a round man and his ugly maids, one of which a behemoth. Though the fight ended in no less than five seconds.

Lucy insisted on reading the book before destroying it and discovered that the client of the job turned out to be the author's son.

The client had lied about being rich and wasn't able to give them a reward for the job, but it didn't bother them. That is until they realized that they still had no money for the rent. On the bright side, Lucy got a new golden key for her Celestial Spirit magic, so all was well in the end.

"Hey Natsu, which one of these missions aren't boring and pay good?" Naruto called out to the dragon slayer, he was currently standing in front of the request board looking for a job to do.

"Read them yourself!" Natsu answered back.

"You know I can't read this!"

The language in Earthland, while spoken the same as in the Elemental Nations, was written differently.

"Why don't you ask Lucy to read it for you, or just learn to read?"

Naruto stamped his foot on the ground impatiently. "Come on! Lucy doesn't want to go on a mission today so help me out man! We can go on a harder mission if you want?"

That seemed to have gotten Natsu's attention, as he immediately stopped what he was doing and ran over to the ninja. "Fine! Let's see... Ah! There's a mission to slay a demon that's been terrorizing a village."

"A demon? What's the pay?"

"200,000 jewels! It says it's too strong for the royal army to handle, must be a strong demon! I'm all fired up! Let's go Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Natsu showed the job request to Mirajane and ran out the door.

"Hey Mira-Chan, could you tell Lucy I'm going out on a job with Natsu and Happy?" Naruto asked while walking towards the guild's entrance.

The white-haired beauty nodded and waved them goodbye. "Sure! Be careful."

Naruto gave her a thumbs up and ran after Natsu. "Thanks, we will!"

Cana walked up to Mirajane. "He says he doesn't want to join, but it looks like he's already in."

Mirajane giggled. "He's as stubborn as Natsu, how cute."

* * *

 **At Destroyed Town...**

Naruto looked at the destruction in front of him. "Jeez, what happened here?"

"The town's gone..." Happy said sadly.

Natsu sniffed the air. "It's this way!"

Naruto nodded. "You go find the demon, I'm gonna go look for survivors."

Natsu nodded back and ran off with Happy on his head.

Naruto waited until Natsu was out of sight before he closed his eyes and started drawing in the surrounding natural energy.

Not long after he closed his eyes he opened them, his now yellow eyes with a horizontal slit like the toads were wide in surprise. "Whoa, this world is full of natural energy! I went into Sage Mode almost instantly!"

He then started to feel for any people. He could feel Natsu and Happy slowly approaching something with a vile presence. That had to be the demon, he'd better hurry up.

"There!"

Naruto ran to a collapsed house not too far from where he was standing and began to remove some of the debris.

He then found a little boy that was hiding under a sturdy looking table.

The kid looked up and Naruto with teary eyes. "H-help me s-sir..."

Naruto smiled gently and reached out his hand. "No need to worry, my friend and I will take care of everything."

The little boy nodded and grabbed a hold.

"Do you know where your parents are?" Naruto asked the kid as he pulled him out.

The kid started to cry again and pointed to the rubble. "T-the monster..." Was all he could say.

Naruto frowned and put his head down.

 **GROAWR!**

A loud roar shook the destroyed village.

'Looks like Natsu found it.' Naruto thought and made a shadow clone.

"We're gonna to kick that thing's butt okay? So stay here with my clone and wait for me to get back"

"But t-the monster is s-strong!" The kid cried out, remembering how all of the people from the town who had fought back were struck down like flies.

Naruto looked back and gave the kid a thumbs up. "I'm stronger, ya know!"

He then turned and ran off to help Natsu.

* * *

" **Roar of the Fire Dragon**!" Natsu shot a beam of fire at the creature but it seemed to have little effect.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Damn, it's not working!"

"Hey, Natsu!" Naruto yelled out.

Natsu looked over to see the blond running towards him.

"Naruto!" Happy yelled and they all grouped up.

"Hey! Did you get all the survivors?" Natsu asked.

Naruto nodded, albeit sadly. "Yeah, but there was only one."

Natsu growled and turned towards the demon.

"None of Natsu's attacks are working on this thing." Happy said.

"Yeah, it keeps blocking everything with sand!" The dragon slayer grunted as his flame enhanced kick was blocked yet again.

"Sand?" Naruto took a closer look at the creature.

It was a giant squirrel-looking creature with a long bushy tail and had to be at least fifty feet tall.

"Happy! Fly me over it!"

"Aye sir!"

Happy picked him up and flew up into the sky. As soon as they were over the beast, the cat dropped his friend.

"Take this! **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!"

Natsu drove his flaming hand down at the creature, but with the swing of its tail, sand collected in front of it like a shield and blocked his attack.

"I can't get through!" Natsu cried out in frustration as he landed back on the ground.

The sand dropped to the ground and the creature swiped at him with its claws, but Natsu easily evaded it by jumping back.

'Its sand is just like Garra's.' Naruto thought as Natsu kept trying to land a hit.

"Rwahh! Why can't I hit this thing? It keeps moving its stupid sand wherever I go to hit it!"

An idea formed in Naruto's head. "Natsu! Do that fire roar thing again!"

He just looked at Naruto in confusion. "Huh? It's just gonna move the sand to block it again."

"Just do it! I got an idea!" Naruto yelled and started to circle around the creature, drawing its attention.

"If you say so." He said and took a deep breath. **"Fire Dragon's Roar!"**

The fire sped its way towards the demon and upon noticing it, the giant squirrel took its attention away from the ninja and moved its sand to block the incoming attack.

'Heh, just as I thought!' Naruto thought as he stopped and summoned two clones. He put out a hand and they went to work on making his most powerful technique. A loud screeching noise filled the air as his most powerful technique neared completion. Naruto lunged forward and threw it.

" **Fuuton: Rasenshuriken**!"

The spiraling blades hit the monster square in the back and caused it to hiss in pain, the micro wind blades easily slashing through its hide.

"He got it!" Happy cheered.

Then the Rasenshuriken exploded, consuming the entire beast.

"Whoa!" Natsu said while jumping back with Happy in his arms.

"Did that do it?" Naruto wondered aloud.

After the explosion ended the creature fell to the ground, dead.

'Phew!' Naruto thought and deactivated sage mode before walking over to the cheering duo.

"That attack was awesome! What was it?" Natsu asked with excitement.

"That was my Rasenshuriken, it's the strongest technique in my arsenal. When it explodes, the enemy is cut by a bunch of tiny wind blades." Naruto stated proudly.

"Wow. But why did your attack work but not mine?" Natsu asked looking puzzled.

"I noticed that it could only move sand with its tail."

Natsu deadpanned. "Well yeah, I told you that."

Naruto laughed and put a hand up. "Hold on let me finish. I thought that maybe if the sand was only moving because of its tail, then I would be able to hit it if it was already blocking something else, and it worked."

Realization dawned on Natsu's face. "Oh. OH!"

"You're pretty smart Naruto, unlike Lucy." Happy joked.

Natsu snorted. "Haha, you better hope she doesn't find out you said that."

Naruto laughed. "Okay, let's go get that kid I found to the Rune Knights and get our reward."

Both Natsu and Happy flinched at him mentioning the Rune Knights.

Naruto sweatdropped. "You didn't do anything bad so you don't have to be scared of them."

* * *

 **A/N: What was that squirrel thing? What was with it's powers? Could this mean something?**

 **On another note, will Naruto ever officially join Fairy Tail? How is he going to react when Ezra returns?**

 **P.M me or leave a review to let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **XXXXXXXX**

 **Omake…**

While on their way back from their first job, Naruto and Lucy had decided to take a short in the town square at an outdoor restaurant.

"It's too bad we didn't get paid…" Lucy moped as she watched Naruto eat away the remainder of her cash. 'How can he eat so much ramen…'

Finishing his last bowl, Naruto leaned back in his chair and sighed. "It's not so bad. You did get that golden key thing, ya know?"

Lucy brought out her newest golden key and smiled. "That's true. I'll have to sign a contract with her later. Though to be honest, I'm kind of scared to…."

"That's true…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop. "So what other spirits can you summon, besides that little white dog thing and the crab guy?" Naruto asked. Ever since Lucy had first used her magic, he'd been curious to see what other weird things she could summon.

"Oh, do you want to meet some of them?" Lucy asked and when he nodded she grabbed her keys, growing a little excited to show off her magic to the ninja. She stood up from their table and raised a silver key into the air.

" **Open! Gate of the clock! Horologium!"**

In a flash of golden light, a grandfather clock with arms appeared.

"You called, Lucy-Sama?" The clock asked in a very polite manner.

"A talking clock?" Naruto said and stood up to get a closer look.

"This is Horologium. I've had him ever since I was a child." Lucy said while gesturing to her good old friend.

Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto! Nice to meet you!"

Horologium bowed. "Likewise, Naruto-Sama."

'Sama…?' Naruto thought with a chuckle.

"Well then, if that is all then I shall return to the spirit world. Farewell Lucy-Sama, Naruto-Sama." With that said, Horologium disappeared.

"Bye Horologium!" Lucy said and began to shuffle through her keys to decide which spirit to show him next. 'Maybe I'll introduce him to Taurus next…'

"Hey, can't you summon one that can control water?" Naruto suddenly asked. "Cause If I remember correctly, you were the one who caused that tidal wave back at the port and I don't think Natsu or Happy could have done that."

Lucy felt proud to think that she had the ability to do something a Fairy Tail mage couldn't. Even if it was technically her spirit's power…

"That was Aquarius." Lucy said nervously. "I'm not sure if it would be a good idea to summon her for something like this She's kinda… Strict." There was a large fountain not too far from where they were sitting but…

"Aw, come on~!" Naruto whined childishly. "I'm sure she's not that bad. What's the worst that could happen?"

If only Naruto knew.

Having given up to his pleading, Lucy brought out Aquarius' key. 'Well, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm sure she'll like Naruto. He's really easy to get along with…'

With her mind somewhat at peace, Lucy dipped the key into the fountain.

" **Open! Gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!"**

Light shined in the water as a form rose to the surface.

Naruto was in awe. Never in his life did he think he'd ever see a mermaid, but this was just what he'd pictured one to be like. She was beautiful, to say the least. Her elegant form was floating in the air as she cradled a large urn. She looked so calm. 'I wonder why Lucy was so hesitant to summon her-'

"Tch!"

'Eh?' Naruto thought, his pictures of a mermaids going down the drain.

Lucy's eyebrow twitched. "Stop doing that when I summon you!"

"Stop summoning me when I'm about to go on a date with my boyfriend!"

Lucy cringed at the mermaid's tone of voice, she knew this was a bad idea. "Sorry… I just wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine-"

"HUH!? That's what you interrupted my date for!?" Aquarius turned over to Naruto, who immediately straightened himself in a proper stance. "You!"

"H-hai!?" Naruto squeaked.

"Who are you?"

Naruto, not wanting to piss the mermaid off any more than she already was, answered immediately. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

Aquarius grunted. "I see your taste in men is as lousy as usual… The kid has no spine."

Lucy and Naruto fumed, both for different reasons.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"I'm not a coward!"

Aquarius blinked and stared at them blankly for a couple seconds before bursting out with laughter. "Ahaha! This might actually be pretty fun!"

Naruto sent Lucy a questioning look and the girl muttered a silent apology.

"You two!" Aquarius yelled after regaining her composure.

"Hai!?" They both answered at the same time.

"I'm going to leave for my date now. Have fun~!" She said and waved at them sweetly before disappearing, leaving the two blondes by themselves once again.

"What was she talking about?"

"Don't worry about it…"


	3. A Way Home?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised of of 12/29/2016**

* * *

Naruto and Natsu had just gotten their reward for their mission and were walking down a road to the nearest rain station.

"Hey Naruto, why did your eyes look funny while we were battling that demon?" Happy asked.

"Hm? Oh, that's an ability of mine called Sage Mode. I collect the natural energy around me and turn it into extra power. It makes me stronger, faster, and I can tap into nature to help me sense where people are at a pretty good distance." Naruto explained.

Natsu groaned. "Sounds complicated…"

"Where did you learn that?"

"I learned all of sage techniques from the toads at Mount Myōboku." The blonde stated.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Toads?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I signed a contract with them and I can summon them to help me out in battle. It's kind of like Lucy's magic, but with a blood seal instead of a key. Here, watch."

He bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and went through the necessary hand signs.

" **Kuchiyose no Jutsu!** " Naruto said as he slammed his palm on the ground.

In a big puff of smoke Gamakichi appeared in front of them. "Yo Naruto, what's happening?"

Natsu and Happy stared at the toad in shock.

"That's a big toad!"

"Aye!"

Naruto laughed at their shocked state. "Hey Gamakichi. You've gotten bigger."

The toad was about half the size of his father, Gamabunta.

"Yep, I'll outgrow my old man in a couple of months. By the way, the Hidden Leaf is looking all over for you." The toad glanced around. "Is this where you've been? Where is this place anyway?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, long story short, we're in another dimension than the Elemental Nations. I was brought here because of a strange scroll. I have no idea how to get back."

Gamakichi laughed loudly. "HAHA! Only you would get yourself in these situations. Though why haven't you tried summoning us earlier to use the reverse summoning technique to go to Mount Myōboku?"

Naruto face palmed.

Of course! The reverse summoning! Why didn't he think of that earlier?

"Reverse summoning?" Natsu asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Oh yeah, Natsu, Happy, this is Gamakichi. Gamakichi, this is Natsu and Happy." Naruto said and they all nodded to each other. "The reverse summoning technique is where instead of me summoning the toads, they summon me to Mount Myōboku. Which is where I learned Sage Mode. I just can't believe it slipped my mind."

"So, do you want to try it now?" Gamakichi asked.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."

With a nod of his own, Gamakichi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto turned to Natsu and Happy. "If this works and I can't come back, tell Lucy and everyone else back at the guild I said thanks for all their help."

Natsu grinned gave the blond a thumbs up.

Naruto smiled before doubling over in a burst of pain.

"Ahh!"

"Naruto, what's wrong?!" Natsu looked over him in concern.

The pain kept getting worse and worse in waves. He felt like he had just swallowed lava and was melting from the inside out.

"Argh! It's... not working!"

Naruto quickly did the summoning jutsu again and brought Gamakichi back.

The pain stopped.

"Hey Naruto what giv- whoa, you okay?" Gamakichi said when he noticed his summoner gasping for air.

Naruto laid back and caught his breath. "Yeah… Man that hurt! Why didn't it work, and why did that hurt so much!?"

"I wonder if something is keeping you bound here." Gamakichi wondered aloud. "But it's weird that you're able to summon us here but not the other way around."

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I'll summon a messenger toad later to write a letter to the old lady to tell everyone what's going on."

Gamakichi nodded. "Sounds good. I'll be going now, Ma's cooking up some grub."

And with that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto sighed. "Too bad that didn't work."

"Well at least we got this huge reward!" Natsu raised up his and Happy's share of the reward.

"Yeah, shall we head back then?"

They continued their trip back to Magnolia.

* * *

"Man, you really are bad with transportation." Naruto said as he helped Natsu off the train.

"Blurg..."

They walked into the guild to find that it was completely silent.

'Why is it so quiet?' Naruto wondered as he looked around. Everyone was either siting properly or shaking like they'd seen a ghost.

Natsu paled and began to sweat. "E-Erza's back."

"Who's Erza?"

Natsu pointed.

Looked to where Natsu was pointing, Naruto saw a red-haired girl clad in armor that covered her upper body and a blue skirt. An odd choice of clothing, but the woman was beautiful none the less.

Erza must have noticed the three, because she started walking towards them.

"There you are Natsu. Keeping out of trouble I hope?"

"Aye!" He squeaked.

Naruto took a step away from Natsu, shocked to see the normally hyperactive teen act so timid.

Erza then turned her attention to Naruto.

"Are you the other new member I've been hearing about? Naruto, was it?"

Naruto laughed nervously at her serious tone. This girl held so much authority to her presence that it scared him. "Yeah, that's me. But I haven't joined and I'm still not sure if I want to yet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here?"

"It's complicated..."

"How so?" Erza asked and crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing ever so slightly. She obviously wasn't the type to let things slide by her.

Naruto began to sweat, it was kind of hard to talk to this girl. No wonder Natsu was acting the way he was. "The master told me not to discuss it with anyone else other than him..."

At the mention of Makarov, Erza visibly softened. "Oh, I see. If that is what the master wants, then I understand." She turned back to the other boy. "Natsu."

"A-aye?"

"You and Gray are coming with me to help me with something."

Natsu looked over at Gray in disgust, who was looking back with a similar expression.

Naruto, taking the opportunity to leave, crept his way towards Lucy who was sitting at a table with Levy. "Hey guys, we're back from our job."

Lucy waved back. "How'd it go?"

Naruto grinned and took out an envelope. "Looks like we won't have to worry about the rent for another month."

While Lucy cried anime tears, Levy laughed before pointing at Erza. "So, what do you think of Erza?"

Naruto sweatdropped and took a seat. "She's almost scarier than my teammate back at home…" He shivered at the thought of seeing Erza when she was angry.

"Well she is the strongest woman in Fairy Tail."

"Fine! But if I have to go with Gray, then we gotta take Naruto too!" Natsu shouted and pointed at the now confused ninja.

"Eh?"

Erza looked at Naruto for a second before she nodded in approval. "Very well. Naruto, you shall come too."

Naruto just sat there with a dumb look on his face. "Eh!?"

* * *

 **On The Train...**

Lucy sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Why did I have to go too?"

Naruto sent her an apologetic expression before whispering. "It couldn't be helped, Erza's scary!"

They both looked at Erza holding an unconscious Natsu on her lap, she had just knocked the dragon slayer unconscious because he was complaining about being another train.

Gray spoke up and asked what they had all been wondering. "What exactly are we doing Erza?"

Erza nodded and filled them in, about how they were going to take on a dark guild. They were just getting off of the train when she finished.

"That just about sums it up, we'll take on Eisenwald."

Lucy gasped while Gray and Naruto both smirked, both liking the idea of a good fight.

"Sounds good to me."

"This should be fun."

"Natsu's still on the train." Happy said while pointing at the now leaving vehicle.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

"This is all my fault! Somebody, hit me!" Erza panicked and braced herself, expecting someone to hit her.

"I can go get him if you want?" Naruto offered.

They all looked at him in disbelief.

"You, catch up with a train on foot? I'll believe it when I see it." Gray scoffed.

Naruto smirked before taking off in an orange blur, leaving everyone speechless. Even Erzaseemed impressed by the shinobi's showcase of speed.

* * *

Naruto was slowly catching up to the train, and was now just behind the last cart. He pulled up to the side of it and was about to grab on when Natsu suddenly burst through the window right in front of him.

"Ahh!"

The pink haired teen crashed into the surprised blond and they both fell onto the ground, tumbling to a stop.

"Ugg..." Naruto groaned in pain. "Why would you jump out of a train?"

"Sorry..." Natsu apologized, his head still spinning.

They both got up and dusted themselves off.

"Why did you jump out anyway?"

"There was this guy making fun of Fairy Tail and picking a fight with me. Then the train started to move again and I didn't want to be on that thing anymore. I think he said he was from a guild called... what was it? Ei... Eisen...wald?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Did you say Eisenwald!? That's the dark guild we're after!"

"Oh, really? He also had this wooden flute thing with him that had a skull with three eyes."

"A flute with three eyes? That's weird."

They both heard a noise that was gradually getting louder behind them and they turned around to see a small vehicle driving towards them. As it got closer, they could see Erza in the front and Lucy leaning out of the window.

"Naruto! Natsu!"

The vehicle came to a stop next to them.

"Hm. You really did get him." Erza said and motioned for them to get in.

"No more transportation... blurg..." Natsu choked out.

Naruto wasted no time and jumped into the seat next to Erza. "Follow the train! It has a member of Eisenwald in it!"

"What!? Why didn't Natsu get him?"

"Never mind that, let's go!"

The red head nodded and floored it.

"He also said that the guy had a flute with a skull that had three eyes." Naruto added.

Lucy poked her head out. "Did you say a flute with three eyes?" When Naruto nodded, she gained a worried expression. "I've read about something like that in books, but I think that flute might be the evil magic Lullaby!"

"What does it do?" Naruto asked.

Erza frowned. "Nothing good, and if Erigor got his hands on it..."

* * *

The group came to a stop in front of the station and found that there were Rune Knights trying to calm the people down.

"They took over the station?"

"Looks like it."

Erza walked up to one of the workers. "What's going on inside?"

The guy just looked at her incredulously. "Who the heck are yo-"

 **Crack!**

Erza headbutt him in the face knocking him unconscious.

"What's she doing?" Naruto asked while watching Erza continue to knock people out.

Gray just shuddered and shook his head. "Just don't question it man..."

Naruto and Lucy shared a look as Erza did it a few more times until there was no one left.

"Let's head up and see for ourselves." Naruto said and started running up the stairs.

Once they got to the platform they came face to face with the entire dark guild.

"I knew you'd show up, Fairy Tail." A man with a large scythe said with a smirk.

"Erigor! What are you planning to do with Lullaby?" Erza demanded.

A gust of wind picked up around Erigor and he started to float. "Oh, you haven't figured it out? He floated up to one of the speakers and tapped it a few times.

Erza realized what they planned on doing. "You plan to broadcast the Lullaby!?"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this.

"Ahahahaha!" The man roared with laughter.

"Murderer!"

The dark mage scoffed. "These people enjoy what they take for granted, their rights! So, the Shinigami has come to punish them... With death!"

Naruto clenched his fists. "You think taking people's lives will get you your rights back!?"

"We seek not our rights, but authority! If we're in control, we can wipe the past and command the future!"

"Bastard!"

Naruto counted the number of enemies. "There's a lot of them."

Erigor laughed again. "I'll leave these flies to you, while I go play the flute." He said and flew out through one of the building's windows.

Erza turned towards Natsu and Gray. "Natsu! Gray! Go after him! You can beat him if you work together!"

They grumbled but ran off anyways.

The S-class mage then turned to the other two. "Naruto, Lucy, let's take care of these guys."

Naruto nodded and prepared for battle.

'What am I supposed to do!?' Lucy thought and hid behind the shinobi.

Erza summoned a sword and charged at them, swiftly defeating a few in a couple of swipes and switched her weapon to a spear to hit a mage that was about to use ranged magic.

"She can summon weapons?" Naruto asked. If he didn't know any better, it was like he was watching his friend Tenten fight.

"That's Erza's magic, Requip magic, she can also change her armor to her advantage as well. A lot of people can use this magic but Erza can do it really fast." Happy explained.

Erza's armor glowed and changed into a dress-like armor with metal wings. Swords were floating in a circular formation around her form.

"Dance my swords!"

The blades circled around her, cutting down the rest of the dark guild members.

'She's strong.' Naruto and Lucy both thought.

Erza switched back to her normal armor and noticed a mage had avoided her attack and was running away.

"Naruto, Lucy follow him. He might be going to Erigor."

Not wanting to anger the woman, they did as she commanded.

* * *

 **A Couple Minutes Later...**

Lucy groaned. "Where did that guy go? We can't find him anywhere."

Naruto closed his eyes. 'I'll just go into Sage Mode and find him.'

 **BOOM!**

"What was that!?"

Naruto started running towards the explosion. "Let's go see what that was, someone might have found Erigor."

Lucy nodded and followed him.

When they met up with everyone they found out that a man named Kageyama, who was needed to get out of a wind barrier surrounding the station, was stabbed in the back by one of his comrades.

Naruto tried punching his way through the wind barrier.

"Ow!"

It had cut up his hand.

"Don't touch the wind, it'll rip you to shreds!" Erza warned them.

Lucy ran up to Naruto and looked at his injured arm. "Naruto! Are you okay?"

Naruto waved her off. "Yeah don't worry, I heal fast."

She watched in awe as the cuts closed right before her eyes. "You weren't kidding…"

Gray kicked a wall. "I can't believe we fell for this."

Natsu stared at the wall of winds. "Gramps..."

Lucy sighed. "I don't think any of my keys would work here either."

"Hey Lucy, did you ever sign a contract with the key we got from that one mission? You know, the one that can dig holes and stuff." Naruto asked. If he wasn't mistaken, that spirit had the ability to dig tunnels.

Lucy blinked. "Oh yeah! She can dig us a way out of here!"

She grabbed the key and began the ritual.

"Open! Gate of the virgin! Virgo!"

A magic circle formed on the ground and a girl with pink hair wearing a frilly maid's outfit appeared.

Lucy and Naruto stared at her in shock.

"Is that really the same spirit?" Naruto remembered her last form and shivered.

"She's like a different person." The Celestial spirit mage agreed.

"Would you prefer my other appearance?" Virgo asked and started morphing back into her former appearance.

"N-no your fine!" They both said quickly.

Shifting back once again, the maid bowed gracefully. "If that is what you wish, my mistress."

"Don't call me that." Lucy said and they proceeded to have a conversation about what Virgo would call her.

Erza walked over to Naruto. "What's going on?"

"That's a Celestial Spirit that can dig tunnels and stuff." He explained to the knight. "Hey Lucy, hurry up will ya?"

"How about, hime?"

Lucy nodded in acceptance. "That's fine."

Naruto sighed. Of all the times to be picking a title for herself to be called, and she was okay with hime of all things?

"Then, here I go!" Virgo dove right into the ground as if it were water, creating a good-sized tunnel as she went.

Erza smacked Lucy in the back, knocking the girl flat on her face. "Good job, Lucy."

Naruto jumped into the tunnel. "Okay, let's go."

Everyone followed him in with Natsu carrying Kageyama.

Once they reached the other side, Gray stretched. "Sweet, we're out!"

Erza looked around. "Hey, where's Natsu and Happy?"

Lucy looked around as well. "Naruto isn't here either."

* * *

Naruto ran across the railroad as Natsu flew with Happy at their max speed.

"I didn't think Happy could fly that fast!" Naruto yelled up at them.

"We gotta get to that Erigor person as fast as we can!"

"Aye sir!"

They soon saw Erigor up ahead and Naruto sped up and jumped at him, surprising the wind mage.

"Surprise!" Naruto yelled as he punched the guy right in the face, landing gracefully as Erigor crashed into the bridge.

The wanted man snarled. "How did you get out of the barrier!?"

Natsu landed on the ground with Happy in his arms.

"Natsu, I'm tired." The cat said sleepily.

"Thanks for the ride buddy, you rest up now." Natsu said as he laid his feline friend on the ground.

"Hey Natsu, sorry but I call dibs on this guy. He really pissed me off earlier." Naruto claimed and did a little stretching.

The dragon slayer grumbled but complied. "Fine. But when we get back, I wanna fight you." Ever since they finished their job with the squirrel demon, he'd been itching to spar with the blonde.

Naruto smirked and then charged Erigor. "Sounds good to me!"

The wind mage snarled. "What do you think this is a game!? Stupid brats, thinking they can defeat the shinigami so easil-"

He was cut off by Naruto who kicked him in his side, knocking the wind out of him.

"You wanna give me that flute before someone gets hurt?" Naruto asked nicely.

Erigor recovered and took to the sky. "Never! Eat this!" He blasted a wave of wind at Naruto, and he jumped straight up to avoid it.

Erigor met him in the air and brought down his scythe. Pulling out a kunai, Naruto redirected the blade away from him.

The moment the shinobi landed, he threw a dozen shuriken.

They were easily deflected by the wind but gave Naruto enough time to create a couple shadow clones.

'Clone magic?' Erigor thought as he fought off the clones. His thoughts were interrupted when an explosion went off underneath Erigor. The original Naruto flew at him with a glowing blue sphere in his hand.

"From under the bridge?! When did he-"

" **Rasengan!"**

The attack hit the dark mage right in the gut, causing him to howl in pain as the orb launched him across the bridge until he tumbled to a stop.

Naruto calmed himself before walking over to Erigor. He knelt down and looked over his enemy. The mage was out for the count. Turning and giving his friends a thumbs up, Natsu and Happy cheered.

'Now to get the flute...' He thought just as the others in the magic vehicle skid to a stop behind them.

"N-no way Erisgor-San was defeated!?" Kageyama yelled in disbelief.

Natsu began reenacting the fight, he covered his face with his scarf to look more like a ninja. "That guy didn't even see Naruto coming!"

Happy jumped onto Natsu's head and made a hand sign with his paws. "Aye! Naruto really is a ninja!"

"Your boyfriend's tough." Gray said to Lucy, and the girl flushed bright red.

"He's not my boyfriend!"

Gray put his hands up in defense. "Alright alright! Jeez, I'm sorry."

Erza looked at the laughing shinobi and noticed that besides the dust and wood flakes, he didn't have a scratch on him. 'He defeated Erigor without getting hurt? Just who are you Naruto...'

The group's attention was suddenly drawn to the magical vehicle when it turned on and zoomed passed them.

"What!?"

"Kage!"

"Victory's ours, flies!" The shadow mage yelled and waved the flute in his hands.

Naruto was about to chase after him when he realized he couldn't move.

Erza pointed towards the fleeting car. "Naruto! After him!"

"I... I can't... move!"

Erza ran over to him and looked to see what was wrong. It was like Naruto was frozen solid, minus the ice.

"Damn! He placed a shadow binding spell on you!"

"How long will it last?" He asked as he struggled against the spell.

"I don't know. Not too long hopefully, he seemed to be low on magic power."

They all ran off in the direction Kageyama drove, with Natsu carrying the frozen Naruto on his back.

* * *

By the time they had caught up to Kageyama, he was found standing with Makarov and looked like he was about to play the flute.

"Master!"

"Old man!"

Before they could act, a big bald man wearing makeup stopped them and put a finger up to his mouth. "Shh, the best part is about to start..."

They all watched as Kageyama was about to play the Lullaby, but he seemed to be hesitating.

"Are you not going to play it?" The old man asked.

"Why isn't he playing it?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"Oh my, those are some cute whisker marks you have there." Master Bob said and winked at Naruto, making the teen shiver.

"Nothing will change." Makarov suddenly said.

Kageyama's eyes widened.

"The weak will always be weak. But weakness is not evil, since human beings are weak to begin with."

Kageyama just continued to stare with wide eyes.

"Alone, we feel insecurity, that is why we form guilds. That's why we have comrades."

Naruto grinned, now seeing there was no need to intervene.

"We walk together in order to live a strong life. The clumsy ones will run into more walls than others, and it may also take them longer to get there."

Kageyama started trembling.

"If you believe in tomorrow and put yourself out there, you can naturally obtain your own strength. That's how you'll be able to smile and live strong."

Makarov grinned. "Without having to depend on such a flute, of course."

Kageyama sank to the ground on his knees, dropping the flute to the ground as he did. "I... I lose..."

Makarov nodded sagely.

"Master!"

"Old man!"

"Ehh!? What are you three doing here!?" The master of Fairy Tail asked, startled to see so many powerhouses bunched up in one group.

"That was amazing gramps!"

"Master, I really felt your words."

 **Thud!**

"Ouch!"

Naruto laughed when Erza brought the old man to her armored chest. 'That looks like it hurts…'

" **Zu Zu Zu... Pathetic mages, you have no guts..."**

"What was that?"

"The flute is talking!"

A demonic presence washed over them as a dark miasma poured out of the flute.

"The smoke it's releasing is taking a shape!"

Naruto looked at the smoke with wide eyes. 'This feeling... it's the same as...!'

The smoke formed into a massive wooden demon. It roared as it towered down over the forest.

" **Let me devour your souls... HUMANS!"**

"It's a demon from the book of Zeref!"

"Hmph! Let's show this monster just how "weak" humans are." Natsu said as he ran at the demon.

"Well said!"

Natsu, Erza, and Gray all took off and started attacking it from different directions.

Naruto sat down and began to collect natural energy.

Makarov walked over to him. "Naruto my boy, what are you up too?"

When Naruto opened his eyes, they were lime-yellow and outlined with red.

Makarov raised an eyebrow at the shinobi's change.

Noticing the look he was getting, Naruto grinned. "Don't worry old man, I'll finish this with one attack."

He formed two shadow clones and they began charging his most powerful technique.

Makarov gulped, the way the attack screeched gave him a bad feeling.

"Hey guys, get out of the way!" Naruto yelled as he began to run towards the now injured demon.

" **Fuuton: Rasenshuriken!"**

" **Hah! Do you really think such a puny attack can defeat-"**

 **SHING!**

Everyone gasped as the bladed sphere cut right through Lullaby, splitting the demon clean in two.

"He cut right through it!"

"Who is that mage?"

Lucy stared at Naruto in disbelief. 'I knew he was strong, but this!?'

Makarov sighed in relief. 'At least they didn't destroy anythi-'

 **BOOM!**

Their cheering was cut short when the Rasenshuriken flew right into the meeting building, destroying it completely.

Makarov gasped as hair literally fell from his head.

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Whoops?"

"Fairy Tail! Retreat!"

* * *

 **A/N: Boom! This was really fun to write. Thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews so far!**

 **Wondering why Naruto can summon the toads but can't be reverse summoned?**

 **How did you like that Naruto vs Erigor fight? Did Naruto win** _ **too**_ **easily?**

 **Review and let me know what if you have any comments/questions/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. See you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	4. You're What?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised of of 12/29/2016**

* * *

Naruto and Natsu stood in front of the guild, face to face. A rather large crowd had gathered around them, news of their fight had spread like wildfire upon their returned from their battle with Lullaby.

"Natsu is going to fight Naruto?" One of the onlookers murmured.

"This should be a good fight!" Another exclaimed.

Lucy pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "Are they really going to fight?"

"Yes, and we should expect a good fight between these two." Erza said as she watched the two combatants stare each other down. She was looking forward to seeing how the ninja fought.

"I'm curious to see what happens myself." Lucy looked down to find Makarov walking towards the duo. "Okay brats! I don't want to see the town get destroyed, so keep the magic toned down a bit will ya?"

The two nodded and started doing some light stretching. A little warm up before a sparring match never hurt anyone.

Natsu got into a fighting stance. "I'm getting fired up!"

"Ready when you are." Naruto said as he tightened his headband.

At the indication, Natsu ran straight at him with his burning fist reared back.

Naruto sidestepped and stuck his leg out, tripping Natsu in the process. "Charging head on with no plan?"

Rolling back onto his feet, the pink haired mage smirked. "I have a plan alright… To kick your ass!" He reared back his arm and launched himself at the shinobi once more. **"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"**

Naruto jumped straight up as the attack hit the ground, causing a minor explosion. He could feel the heated dust from the attack rush past him as he began to fall. 'His hits are heavy, but hasty. Sorta reminds me of my old fighting style.'

Looking up, the dragon slayer found ten Naruto's falling right at him. "You can't dodge if you're in the air!" Taking a deep breath, he roared. " **Fire Dragon's Roar**!"

The flame consumed the descending clones, destroying all of them in an instant. Natsu laughed victoriously. "Hah! Serves you right for being cocky! Huh?" Feeling someone tap his shoulder, he turned to see the real Naruto holding a kunai to his back.

The ninja waved casually. "Yo."

Natsu widened his eyes in surprise. He could have sworn the real one was in the air with the clones, how did Naruto get behind him so fast without him noticing?

"Alright that settles it! Naruto is the winner!" Makarov sighed, relieved to see the match end with no damage done to the town. He then looked over at Naruto with a slight grin as the crowd began to cheer. "Crafty kid…"

Erza nodded in agreement. Naruto had used one of his clones to throw him out of sight, she had almost missed it due to the dust. He clearly knew what Natsu would do after seeing so many targets, and took advantage of the distraction. Natsu was outsmarted. It's no wonder Naruto had been able to defeat Erigor. "He is unpredictable with those clones."

As the crowd continued to chant Naruto's name, Natsu growled in frustration. "Aw come on! We were just getting started!" He whined fruitlessly. "If we were fighting for real, I would have won for sure!"

Gray walked over to the raging teen and shook his head. "With a knife at your back? Face it hot-head, you were beat."

"Oh yeah? Wanna fight me next, pervert?" Natsu challenged as they butted heads.

"I don't see why I'd bother with a weakling like you." The ice mage retorted.

Their little feud was cut short by a loud clap. "There will be no more fighting. I am a messenger from the magic council."

Naruto looked at the messenger with a raised eyebrow. 'A frog?'

Seeing as he got their full attention, the messenger spoke. "The one named Naruto Uzumaki has been placed under arrest." The amphibian declared, getting a gasp from the crowd.

"Ehh!? What did I do?" The accused ninja stepped back, confused on why they would want to arrest him. He didn't do anything wrong...

Oh wait, he destroyed the building where all the guild masters met up.

Makarov walked next to him. "It's best just to do what the council say boy, it'll make things easier."

Naruto nodded hesitantly, but left with the frog. If the old man thought it was okay to go without question, then who was he to argue?

* * *

Naruto followed the messenger down a rather long hallway. They stopped suddenly when a man with blue hair walked into view. The guy must be important because his escort bowed with the most respect the blonde had ever seen.

"Naruto Uzumaki I presume?" The man asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, who are you?"

"I'm a council member, Siegrain." He answered, laughing a little at the teen's straightforward question.

"What does a council member want with me?" The ninja honestly just wanted to leave this place as soon as he could. What if that Mystogan guy showed up at the guild while he wasn't there?

Siegrain grinned ever so slightly. "I find you interesting. I can't find anything to prove you existed until a couple of weeks ago. For someone who is powerful enough to defeat a demon from the book of Zeref in a single attack to go unknown until now… I find that intriguing."

"I'm not exactly from around here..." Naruto answered nervously. Did this man know he wasn't from this dimension? That couldn't be. The only people here that knew were Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and the old man.

If the council member knew, he didn't show any signs of proving so. "And where might that be?"

The blonde kept silent, thinking of a way to either fib his way out or maybe change the subject. He was pulled out of his thoughts though when Siegrain laughed.

"You don't have to answer. I was just curious."

Naruto raised an eyebrow when the man started to fade out of existence.

"I look forward to the next time we meet, Naruto Uzumaki."

Something about those words made the shinobi uncomfortable. He didn't like this Siegrain person.

* * *

After about an hour, the trial ended and Naruto was on a carriage back to Fairy Tail. No one had gotten hurt when the building was destroyed, but he was charged with property damage. Though the payment had been covered by his slaying of the demon Lullaby.

"Was there even a point to all that? That was such a waste of time..." Naruto said with a sigh.

 **Poof!**

A messenger toad appeared next to him in a puff of smoke. What was with all these amphibians and messages today?

"The Leaf has received your letter." It said before holding out a scroll. "The Hokage asked me to give you this."

Naruto's face brightened at the news. "Oh, they got my letter? Thanks!" He took the scroll and began to read it.

With its task now done, the messenger toad disappeared.

 _Dear Naruto,_

 _It's good to know that you are safe. Why do you keep getting involved in all this nonsense? A different dimension? This would only happen to you. These Fairy Tail mages sound like very good people. Konoha is doing fine by the way. We were all relieved to find out that you were okay. Now let's get down to business. Naruto Uzumaki. You have been given an S-Ranked mission to stay with this Fairy Tail guild and try to find a way back home! We will do our best to look for a solution as well. Stay safe and try not to cause them any trouble!_

 _-Tsunade Senju_

Naruto laughed and sealed the scroll away. "Well, I guess that settles it."

* * *

"What!? You're going to join the guild!?" Lucy asked in excitement.

Everyone cheered.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I found a way to contact my home and I was told to stay here for the time being, so I thought why not?"

Elfman pat him on the pack, knocking the smaller boy over. "What a manly decision!"

Naruto laughed and got up. "So, what do I gotta do?"

Makarov pointed to Mirajane. "Mira-Chan, if you would?"

She smiled and nodded happily. "Of course, master! Naruto if you would... follow..." Mirajane's voice trailed off as she fell to the ground, asleep.

In fact, every member of the guild started to fall asleep.

Naruto was also starting to lose consciousness. " **Kai**!"

With a flare of chakra, the drowsiness faded.

Makarov grinned, impressed to see that Naruto could resist Mystogan's sleeping magic.

The front doors of the guild opened to reveal a man covered head to toe in clothing and bandages, with only a portion of his face visible.

"Hey! Was it you who put everyone to sleep!? What was that for?" Naruto steamed.

"A new member?" The cloaked man wondered aloud.

"Mystogan." The master greeted.

Naruto's eyes widened. 'That's Mystogan?'

The bandaged man walked to the request board and picked out a mission. He then placed it in front of Makarov. "I'll be leaving."

"Mystogan, I'd like you to meet our newest member, Naruto Uzumaki." The master gestured to Naruto.

The quiet man sent Naruto a nod and turned to leave the guild.

"H-hey! Wait a second!" Naruto yelled and followed the mysterious mage outside.

As soon as they left, everyone in the guild began to awaken.

"Was it Mystogan again?"

"His sleep magic is powerful."

Lucy looked around and noticed that Naruto was gone. "Where did Naruto go?"

"He left to follow Mystogan." Makarov said, pointing to the doors.

"He left before getting his stamp." Mirajane said with a frown.

"So, the new guy can resist Mystogan's sleep magic huh?" A voice came from the second floor.

Everyone looked up to find Laxus leaning on the railing with a smirk on his face.

"Fight me Laxus!" Natsu challenged the moment he saw the older boy.

Ignoring the ranting teen, the lightning scarred mage looked at the guild's doors, his smirk growing to a malicious grin. 'Naruto Uzumaki huh? Interesting...'

* * *

"Why are you following me?" Mystogan asked without looking back.

"The old man said you might know something about dimensional travel. Is that true?" Naruto asked.

The mage turned and seemed to study the blonde. "Another dimension? Are you from Edolas?"

Naruto shook his head. "Never heard of it. I'm from the Elemental Nations."

Mystogan continued down the road again. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you. I've never heard of such a place."

"Do you know anything at all about dimension hopping?"

Mystogan stopped, his patience wearing thin. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I do not have information that could be any use to you. Now if you'll excuses me, I have a job to do."

Naruto stopped, disappointment growing on his face. With a heavy sigh, he turned around and began to walk towards his shared apartment. "How am I going to get back now?"

* * *

"There sure are a lot of strong people in Fairy Tail." She said to a tiny white dog thing, she was on her way home for the night.

"Puu..." It responded as if to agree with her statement.

Walking up to her apartment building, she climbed the stairs and opened the door to her shared room to find Natsu and Naruto working out.

"Hey Lucy, hope you don't mind Natsu being here." Naruto said between crunches.

"Why are you working out in here!?"

"Natsu showed up and wanted to work out, so I joined him."

Natsu offered her a pair of dumbbells. "Wanna join us?"

"No, you wreak! Natsu, get out!"

"Why does Naruto get to stay?" Natsu whined.

"Because he lives here!" Wearing herself out from all the yelling, Lucy slumped onto the couch.

Happy pat her on the head. "It's okay Lucy, we'll leave so you and Naruto can be alone."

Swiping at the laughing cat, Lucy noticed he was holding a flier. "What's that paper?"

Naruto and Natsu both smirked. "We're going on an S-ranked mission!"

Lucy gasped. "But none of us are S-rank mages!"

"Speak for yourself. Back at home, I'm ranked S-class in the bingo book: Run on site." Naruto boasted.

'I don't think that applies here...' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop. "Why are you even in on this Naruto? I can understand Natsu, but you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Because all the other mission requests are either too easy or too boring. Besides, Mystogan was a dead end to getting back home, so I wanna blow off some steam."

Lucy sighed in defeat. "Whatever, do what you want. But I'm not going."

"Oh yeah, I never looked at what the mission request was. What do we gotta do?" Naruto asked Happy.

"To save a cursed island!" Natsu and Happy both said with spooky faces.

Naruto gulped nervously. "C-cursed... you say?"

The dragon slayer gained an excited grin. "Yeah, I bet there'll be ghosts and stuff!"

"Um... maybe we should listen to Lucy and not go? Yeah? I don't want to get you guys in trouble with the old man." Naruto asked a bit hopefully.

Natsu snorted. "You scared of some haunted island? What are you, a chicken?"

Happy started making chicken noises and Naruto fumed.

"I'm not scared! In fact, we're leaving first thing in the morning!" He turned to Lucy. "You're coming too!"

"What? No way!"

"Look, we get a golden key for doing this job. If you come with us, you can have it." Naruto said and handed her the flier.

Lucy looked at the paper to see if he was telling the truth. "Well, I guess someone has to babysit you three." She said with an innocent smile.

The three boys grinned and began to prepare for their trip.

* * *

 **Hargeon Port...**

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked while looking around the harbor.

"We find a boat to take us to the island." Lucy said simply.

Natsu shook his head. "No way! We'll swim there!"

They asked around to see if any of the sailors would help them, but the sailors all denied them passage the moment they mentioned the name of the island.

"No luck huh?" Naruto asked, and Lucy shook her head sadly.

"I guess we're swimming!" Natsu said happily, and he would have jumped into the water had Lucy not grabbed onto the back of his collar.

"I can probably run us there if the island isn't too far out." Naruto suggested and the other three looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"The island is across the ocean! You can't run there."

"Of course I can, watch this!" Naruto said and jumped off the dock, landing on the surface of the water as if it were solid land.

Natsu and Lucy watched in awe as Naruto showed off his ability.

"Found ya."

They turned around and found Gray standing behind them, and he did not look happy.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto jumped back onto the port. "Hey Gray. Wanna go on the job too?"

He sent Naruto a flat look. "No, I came to bring you guys back. If you come back now, maybe you can avoid being expelled from the guild."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Expelled!?" She had only been thinking about was the golden key, but they were breaking the rules of the guild. Of course they might get expelled for this!

"No way! We're going to do this S-class mission!" Natsu yelled in defiance.

"I guess I'm going to have to use force!" Gray said as his fists began to glow.

The flame wielder ignited his fists on fire. "You wanna go!?"

A nearby sailor noticed their magic and called to them. "Are you mages? Are you here to stop the curse?"

They stopped their respective magics and looked at the guy.

"We're from Fairy Tail." Naruto answered with a grin.

"Here, hop in." He motioned for them to get on his boat.

Lucy beamed. "Really? You're a life saver!"

Natsu turned his attention back to his rival. "Now all that's left is... Eh?" He was surprised to see Naruto holding an unconscious Gray over his shoulder.

Seeing their stares, the shinobi raised an eyebrow. "What? He wasn't looking so I knocked him out." He said and did a chopping mission with his open arm. "Let's go on our S-class mission!"

* * *

"Ugh… Plesae…! No more… Blurgh! Transportation…!" Natsu groaned.

"Is he okay?" The man looked at Natsu worriedly.

Lucy laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry about him. He's just really bad with transportation."

Gray, who was tied up and couldn't move, was laying right next to Natsu. "…Why was I forced to come?"

"I'm gonna die~"

"And stop complaining you wimp!" Gray yelled and headbutt Natsu in the face.

"So why did you change your mind?" Naruto asked the sailor, ignoring the ice mage's rambling.

"My name is Bobo. I used to live on that cursed island. But I escaped." He responded.

Happy raised his hand to get their attention. "What kind of curse is it?"

"Those who step foot on that island are cursed…" He began and removed his cloak to reveal his demonic looking arm. "The demon's curse."

They gasped at the man's arm.

"There it is, Garuna Island."

Off in the distance, they could see an eerie looking island.

Naruto shivered. "The island isn't really haunted, is it?" He asked and turned to see that Bobo was no longer on the boat. "…Eh?"

Lucy gasped. "Where did he go!?"

A deep rumble started rocking their boat.

"What's that noise?" Natsu mumbled.

"A tidal wave!" The giant wave was rapidly making its way towards them. Their tiny boat didn't stand a chance.

Thinking fast, Naruto crossed his fingers. **"Kage Bushin no Jutsu**! **"**

Each clone grabbed a person on board before jumping onto the water, easily outrunning the wave towards the shore of the island.

After making it to the beach, he put everyone down and dispelled his technique. "Phew! That was close!"

"We're saved~!" Natsu said and while crying anime tears.

"Aye!"

Lucy smiled thankfully. "Thanks for saving us, Naruto."

Naruto gave them a thumbs up and took a look around. The sun was beginning to set, making the beach look rather ominous.

Resisting the urge to shiver, Naruto turned back to his resting group. "It's getting late. We should set up camp for tonight and look for the client in the morning." He then walked over to Gray and untied him. "Still gonna try and stop us?"

Gray rubbed his hands stared at the ninja hard, but eventually sighed in defeat. "Well, I guess I might as well tag along. It'd be annoying if you guys got to the second floor before me."

* * *

 **The Next Day...**

"So, this is the village?"

They walked up to the gates and saw a sign that said: "Keep Out".

"Hello? Is there anyone there? Could you open the gate?" Lucy called out in an attempt to get someone's attention.

Two people looked over the top of the gate. "Who are you?"

"We're mages from Fairy Tail. We saw your request."

The guards looked at each other in confusion. "We haven't heard of anyone accepting our request."

She was about to say more when Gray stopped her. "There must have been a mistake."

"Show us your guild symbols." They demanded.

Naruto gulped. 'Whoops. Looks like I forgot to get my mark.'

The others all showed their marks, but when Naruto didn't the guards looked at him expectedly. "What about you?"

He scratched his cheek. "I haven't gotten my mark yet, but I am a guild member... Technically."

The guards talked to one another.

"Are you gonna let us in or not? We could just leave." Gray asked coolly.

The gate started to open. "Come in. We'll get the mayor."

Walking into the village, they waited for the mayor to appear. After a few minutes, he showed up and greeted them. "Welcome to Garuna Island, please heed our troubles..."

He then proceeded to explain the village's problems.

"Which is why I had to kill my son..." He said sadly and showed them a picture of Bobo.

Naruto stiffened. 'That's that sailor guy! He was a g-ghost!?'

The mayor continued. "If this goes on, we will all become engulfed in darkness and become demons."

"We won't let that happen!" Natsu yelled and the others nodded in agreement.

The old man pointed up. "Then please, destroy the moon."

* * *

 **Later In The Forest...**

"We're not really going to destroy the moon, are we?" Naruto asked. Not even knowing if his techniques could reach, he doubted any of them had the power to destroy something as big as the moon.

Gray snorted. "Of course not, there's gotta be a reason behind the moon turning purple."

"Guys, you have to be careful. Who knows what's in this forest. So she says." Horologium said.

Naruto sweatdropped, the girl had concealed herself within the clock spirit. "Lucy, what are you doing?"

"This forest is scary! So she says."

Naruto laughed. "Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing bad happens!"

"Wah!"

Naruto and Lucy/Horologium turned to see Natsu and Gray running from a giant rat.

"What the!?"

"Run!" They screamed and took off running.

Naruto, flashing into Sage Mode, jumped towards the giant animal and punched it right in the face, which knocked it out instantly.

The rat groaned and fell back, causing a minor tremor as it hit the ground.

Naruto landed on the ground and deactivated Sage Mode before walking back to the group.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

Gray looked at Naruto as the ninja passed him, completely baffled. 'This guy might actually be as strong as Erza…!'

Lucy was snapped out of her amazement when Horologium disappeared. 'Must have run out of time… Oh?' Having noticed something, Lucy pointed out in the distance. "Hey, there's an old building over there. Let's check it out."

They walked into the ruins and looked around. There was a variety of weird looking symbols scattered across the wall, most likely the language of a past civilization.

The stellar spirit mage traced one of the symbols with a finger. "I wonder what they mean?"

Natsu looked at the ground and started stomping. "Is this floor even sturdy?"

"Stop! If you do that-"

 **Crack!**

The floor beneath them caved in and they all fell with it.

"Wahhh!" They all screamed as they fell.

"Natsu you idiot!"

Naruto caught Lucy mid-air and landed gracefully while the others landed in a heap.

"T-thanks." Lucy said while he put her down.

"Don't mention it." Naruto said absentmindedly before walking off. Something down here seemed to be calling at him, and it felt… familiar.

"Naruto?" She watched the ninja walk off on his own down the cave.

"Hey! Why did you only save Lucy!?" Natsu steamed before noticing Happy landing softly on the ground with his wings. "And why didn't you catch me!?"

Happy shrugged. "I was too surprised."

As Natsu began to chase Happy around the cave, Gray picked himself up and noticed Naruto walking away. "Where's he going?"

"Hey guys! Get over here!" Naruto called out to them.

They ran down the tunnel too where Naruto was.

When the group reached him, they gasped at the sight that beheld them.

Concealed in what looked to be ice, was a giant demonic looking monster.

"W-what is that?"

Gray stared at the massive being with wide eyes. 'Deliora!?'

Naruto looked at the creature intensely. 'It's giving off the same feeling as that giant squirrel and Lullaby... What could this mean?'

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Lucy asked.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and laughed. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Gray was shaking uncontrollably. "How can Deliora be here!? It's not possible!"

"Hey, calm down! What's wrong?" Lucy tried calming him.

Natsu's ears twitched when heard footsteps coming from the other side of the cavern. "Someone's coming!"

They all hid behind some boulders.

"I thought I heard someone." A man with huge eyebrows said.

"Ooon." His dog-faced companion replied.

"Toby, did you get moon drip in your ears?"

"NO I DIDN'T YUUKA!"

The now named Yuuka cleared his ear. "Calm down I was only teasing."

'What the heck is moon drip?' Naruto thought with a raised eyebrow.

"Yuuka-San, Toby-San, I have bad news. Angelica was harassed by some intruders." A girl with long pink hair said while walking up to her comrades.

"IT'S JUST A MOUSE!"

"She's not just a mouse, she is a knight that gallops the darkness, and..." She looked off to the distance dreamily. "Love."

Naruto sweatdropped. 'What?'

"Let's get rid of these intruders before Reitei-Sama finds out about them."

After the three people left, Natsu stepped out and punched his fists together. "We should have caught them and questioned them."

Lucy shook her head. "Not yet, we don't know enough about what's going on." She turned over to Naruto. "What do you think we should next?"

Naruto scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Getting more information sounds good… haha."

'He wanted to catch them too.' Lucy and Happy thought in unison.

Naruto walked over to Gray, who was staring at the frozen demon intensely. "Hey Gray, just what is this demon to you anyways?"

Gray clenched his fists. "This demon attacked my home village when I was little, I'm the only one that survived. My teacher Ur, sealed it away at the risk of her own life."

Naruto's eyes softened. So Gray had lost everything because of this demon, seeing it here was probably very painful.

"At the risk of your teacher's life?" Lucy asked. The way Gray had said that made her feel uneasy.

Gray nodded. "Yeah, and it's just sealed up. It's still alive."

Lucy gasped. "No way…"

"So we just have to destroy it right?" Natsu said and started walking towards the ice while cracking his knuckles.

Naruto put a hand out. "Wait, there's gotta be more to the story. Right Gray?"

Gray glared up at Deliora. "Ur used a magic called **"Iced Shell"** to seal it. It's an unmeltable ice."

"If it's unmeltable, then why did these people bring it here?" Naruto wondered aloud. He knew close to nothing about seals, and magical seals were beyond that to him. But didn't seem like he was exaggerating how powerful the ice seal was.

"Maybe they found out how to melt the ice." Lucy suggested.

Gray kicked a wall. "Damn it! Who would want to unseal Deliora?"

"Let's follow those guys and find out." Naruto said. Lucy was right. They clearly needed more information, and following those people would surly lead them to that information.

Gray shook his head. "No. We should wait until the moon rises."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "I think that's smart. This island's mystery seems to be surrounded by the moon. So we might find something out if we look around at night."

Natsu groaned. "But it won't be night for a couple hours!"

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later...**

Natsu was snoring peacefully on the ground, with Happy nestled up on his stomach.

Naruto cracked an eye open and looked at him. 'And he was just complaining about waiting too.' He too was laying on the ground getting some rest.

Lucy sighed. 'Even though we agreed to wait, this is still boring.' She then smiled as an idea came to her. " **Open, Gate of the Lyre! Lyra**!"

In a bright flash of light, Lyra appeared.

"Oh Lucy! You haven't summoned me in ages!" Lyra chimed.

"That's because I can only summon you in very certain times…" Lucy said with a sweatdrop.

"Oh, I haven't seen this spirit before." Naruto said and sat up to greet the spirit. In the time he had come to know Lucy, he found out that she really loved her spirits and treated them like friends. It was just like he was with the toads. So far, he had only met a couple of Lucy's spirits: Horologium, Virgo, the little white dog thing, and Aquarius. Naruto shuddered remembering his first meeting with the mermaid.

Upon seeing Naruto, a sly smile grew on Lyra's face. "Oh~? Is this the rumored Naruto I've been hearing so much about in the Celestial Spirit World?"

Lucy's face heated up. Just what were they talking about in the spirit world?

Naruto, not noticing the hidden tease aimed at Lucy and himself, grinned a foxlike grin. "That's me! Nice any friend of Lucy's is a friend of mine!"

Lyra blinked at the boy's denseness before cooing and hugging the ninja in a full embrace. "Aw~ You're so adorable! I'm Lyra, nice to finally meet you Naruto!"

"N-nice to meet you too…" Naruto said a bit awkwardly as the girl let him go.

Lucy sighed. She wondered how the other spirits were going to react to Naruto. "Hey, do you mind playing a song, your choice."

The spirit nodded happily and began to sing, strumming her harp to compliment her beautiful voice.

'Not bad.' Naruto thought and leaned back onto his spot. The song was a bit sad, but it very calming and pleasant to listen too. It almost made him feel a little homesick.

On the other side of the cavern, Gray began to shiver.

"G-gray? Are you okay? Lyra! Play something more cheerful!" The celestial spirit mage stuttered.

"You told me to play anything!"

Naruto got up and sat near Gray. He had a good idea what Gray was thinking of. "My parents died protecting my home village from a demon. So I sorta know what you're going through."

Gray didn't look at him, but even so, Naruto grinned. "I don't know much about this Ur person, but she died protecting someone important to her. So she's okay in my book!"

The ice mage grinned, if not a little.

Lucy smiled at the scene, a smile that wasn't missed by her spirit.

'Hoho~ The rumors are so true!' Lyra thought with a mischievous smile. She couldn't wait to tell the other spirits back in the spirit world.

A bright eerie light suddenly shined through the ceiling and onto Deliora.

Having woken up from Lyra's song, Natsu jumped up with a sleepy Happy in his arms. "What is that?"

"Let's go find out! It could be the people behind everything!" Lucy said and everyone nodded.

They ran up to the top of the ruins and found what looked to be a ritual being performed. Several cloaked people stood in a circle around the hole that they assumed was where Deliora was.

"Are they gathering the moonlight?" Lucy wondered aloud, and was startled when Lyra popped up right next to her.

"Yes. It's most likely to make moon drip."

"What is that moon drip stuff?" Naruto asked.

"It's a magic that has the power to break any spell. They must be collecting it to unseal that demon." Lyra explained.

Gray's eyes widened. "They don't know what they're dealing with here!"

Lucy frowned. "This is probably what's causing the curse on this island."

A man wearing a cloak and a helmet came into view.

"Reitei-Sama, there are intruders on the island. We couldn't find them."

"Intruders?" The masked man said.

'That must be the leader…' Naruto thought and turned to look at the others, but frowned when he saw Gray's eyes wide like saucers. "Gray?"

"The villagers of the island are the only other people here. Destroy them. I don't want anyone to interfere, not when I'm this close."

"As you wish Reitei-Sama."

Lucy gasped. "Destroy the village!?"

Natsu growled and jumped up. "I'm tired of sneaking around! That's Naruto's job!"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"We're the ones your looking for!" He yelled while breathing fire into the sky.

Naruto got up and started to run towards the cloaked man. If he could take out the leader, his followers would surely stop the ritual.

"Wait Naruto!" Gray called out and the ninja stopped and looked back. "What? Why?"

Gray ran at Reitei charging a magic attack. "He's mine!" The ice mage attacked with stream of ice.

Reitei smirked and countered it with his own ice stream.

Gray sucked his teeth, he knew this person. "Leon! Do you know what you're doing?"

"Gray, do you know this guy?"

"Yeah, he's also a disciple of Ur." Gray glowered at his fellow ice mage.

Leon took his helmet off to reveal his face, he had sharp eyes and bluish-silver hair. "It's been a while, Gray." He said then turned to his followers. "Hurry and go, I can take care of things here."

"Yes sir!" The trio said and ran in the direction of the village.

Natsu charged at them and roared. "Like I'd let you!"

Leon simply lifted a hand and Natsu's body was encased in ice, minus his head and limbs.

"Happy take Lucy to protect the village!" Naruto yelled out to Happy.

"Aye sir!"

"What about you?" Lucy yelled as the cat picked her up.

"Don't worry, I'll be meet you guys there!" Naruto said then looked at Natsu, whose torso was covered in ice.

"W-what's with this ice?" Natsu was having a hard time keeping balance.

Gray walked over to the dragon slayer and pushed him down the hill.

"Wah~!"

Naruto watched the tumbling boy. "You obviously have some beef with this guy, and I'm sure Natsu will be fine, so I'll be going back to the village to help Lucy." He said before taking off towards the village.

Gray never took his eyes off Leon. "Thanks."

* * *

Naruto hopped over the village gate and landed on the ground. "Hey Lucy! I'm her-ack!" The ground beneath him crumbled and the blonde fell into a pit. "Ouch... what the heck?"

Lucy and Virgo poked their head's over the edge and peered down. "Naruto! Sorry, I thought you were an enemy or I would have warned you!"

Naruto pulled himself out of the hole and dusted himself off. "You made pitfall traps? Do you really think the enemy would fall for this?"

Lucy tried to conceal her laughter. "You did."

Happy walked over to Naruto. "I take back what I said about you being smart."

Naruto turned bright red. "W-well I just wasn't really paying attention."

Virgo popped out of the ground next to the pouting blonde, having just made another pitfall trap. "Is it punishment time, Naruto-Sama?"

He gave the maid a blank stare. "What's with you and punishment?"

"What happened with Gray and Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"I left that Leon guy to Gray, and Natsu's somewhere in the forest."

She gave him a questioning look.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine."

"It's them!" The gate guards yelled, Naruto watched as the gate started to open. "I still don't think they'll fall for it."

"Oh? Is little Naruto still mad about falling for such a "stupid" plan?" Lucy teased.

Naruto grumbled to himself and watched the gates open to reveal Natsu holding a bruised-up Gray.

"What are you guys doing here!?"

'So, Gray lost?' Naruto thought with a frown. That Leon guy must be strong if Gray couldn't beat him. He knew Gray was about equal in strength to Natsu, and Natsu was no pushover when fighting seriously.

Lucy noticed Natsu was about to walk over a trap. "No wait! Don't come any closer!"

 **Crack!**

Natsu looked down. "Huh?"

He poked the trap with his foot and he and Gray went crashing down.

"Ack!"

Naruto sweatdropped. 'At least I'm not the only one.'

"Who's pulling pranks at a time like this?" Natsu fumed from the bottom of the pit.

Happy flew down into the hole. "It was Lucy."

"How did you get here before the enemy Natsu? They left before you did, right?" Lucy asked quickly to change the subject.

"Yeah, they must be planning something." Naruto agreed as Happy helped the two out of the hole.

The villagers began to panic as the pointed at the sky.

"What is that thing!?" Someone pointed.

"It's carrying something!" Another screamed.

"What the…" Naruto said as he looked up and saw the giant mouse he had defeated in the forest flying towards the village.

Yes, it was flying.

Its tail was spinning at an impossible rate to keep it airborne.

"Hey, it's holding something…" Lucy said and pointed at the giant bucket in the rat's hands.

A drop of the substance splashed out of the bucket and fell on the ceiling of a house, melting right through it.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Acid!?"

"They're going to dump it on us!" Naruto said when the rat began to spin the bucket. Thinking fast, he bit his thumb and did a few hand signs. "Everyone, clear a space!"

He ran to a large enough spot and slammed his hand on the ground.

" **Kuchiose no Jutsu!"**

In a huge puff of smoke a giant toad appeared under the ninja.

'Huge!' Everyone thought.

" **Hm? What do you want brat?"** Gamabunta's voice boomed.

"Quick! Shoot some toad oil at that acid!" Naruto ordered quickly.

The chief toad grumbled but did what he was told. He shot a stream of toad oil straight at the acid.

Since Naruto didn't know any fire style jutsu, he threw a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it.

 **BOOM!**

Everyone covered their heads as the explosion went off, and he acid was completely wiped out by the toad fire.

'That was way too close.' Naruto thought and sighed in relief. That acid would have wiped out the entire village, and he didn't want that to happen to these good people.

Natsu ran up to Naruto as he hopped off Gamabunta. "Naruto, that was so cool!"

"It's not over yet."

The people that were riding the giant mouse jump off and landed in the village.

"What is that? A giant frog?" Yuuka asked.

"IT'S A TOAD!" Toby yelled.

"Angelica, can you take care of that?" The girl asked.

With a hiss, the giant rat flew down towards Gamabunta.

" **You think I'd lose to an overgrown rodent? Huh!?"** He met the beast head on and they both crashed through one of the village walls.

Everyone watched in awe as the two giants duked it out. After all, it wasn't every day you got to see a giant toad brawl with a giant rat.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Naruto Shushined in front of Yuuka and punched him in the face. "Natsu! Lucy!"

"Yeah!" The dragon slayer yelled and charged at the dog guy.

"I'll get the girl!" Lucy called out.

Naruto ran towards his fallen opponent and threw a couple kunai at him.

"How do you expect to beat a mage by throwing daggers?" Yuuka asked dryly while blocking them with a wave of magic.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Naruto said and charged a Rasengan.

"Magic doesn't work against me, the vibrations I make render it useless." The mage stated while putting up a field of vibrations.

Naruto smirked and ran straight at his opponent. "Then it's a good thing I don't use magic!"

"What!? Gah!"

Naruto's Rasengan went right through the guy's magic and hit the ground, throwing Yuuka into a wall.

Naruto flinched when the now unconscious mage hit the ground. 'Good thing I didn't hit him with it directly…'

"The guy I fought was dumb, I just tricked him into paralyzing himself." Natsu said while barking with laughter.

Naruto pointed in the direction Gamabunta went. "I'm going to check up on the chief toad, you go check on Gray."

Natsu nodded and they went their own separate ways. The blonde noticed Lucy was no longer in the village. 'Her fight must have gone into the forest, better check on her later.'

* * *

Lucy bent over to catch her breath. "I beat my opponent! I'm getting stronger! I'm a member of Fairy Tail after all!"

"That is unless the master banishes you all as punishment."

The Celestial spirit mage yelped in surprise and turned around to find a familiar red head glaring daggers at her. "E-Erza!"

"You have some explaining to do..."

* * *

Naruto ran through the forest, following a path of destruction. At the end, he found Gamabunta smoking his pipe while sitting on the giant mouse. "Hey chief, you're done already?"

The toad grunted. **"Of course, this thing wasn't even a warm up."**

Naruto laughed. "Okay, thanks for the help, you can go now."

His response was another grunt and the giant toad disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"I better look for Lucy"

Nearing the beach, he heard the girl's voice. "But we can't just leave the villagers!"

'There she is.' He was about to walk out when he saw Erza. 'W-what's she doing here?' He thought as he hid behind a tree.

"That's none of my concern." Erza responded.

"Then let us finish the job and-"

She was cut off when Erza pointed a sword at her.

"No. We're leaving."

'S-scary!' Lucy thought as her legs began to shake.

Erza looked at the tree Naruto was hiding behind. "Naruto, I know you're there. Come out."

Naruto flinched. 'How did she know I was here?' Naruto inched out into their view. "H-hey Erza. How ya doin?"

She just stared at him for a second then began walking. "Let's go get Natsu and Gray."

The two just looked at each other and followed her. Their heads lowered in silent defeat.

* * *

 **A Couple Hours Later...**

Naruto sat tied up next to Lucy and Happy, who were also tied up. He sighed. "After all that hard work, too."

"Silence." Erza commanded.

Naruto zipped his lips.

After few minutes passed, Gray showed up. "Erza!?" He gawked.

She lowered her gaze at him. "I got the whole story from them." She gestured to the tied-up trio. "Where's Natsu?" Erza asked and looked at her prisoners.

Lucy and Happy shook their heads negative.

Erza then focused on Naruto who shrugged. "Last time I saw him, he was here in the village."

Erza stood up. "Then we must go look for him. He must be lost and doesn't know where to go."

Naruto sweat dropped. 'What is he, a lost puppy?'

"After we find Natsu, we're leaving."

Gray looked at her in shock. "What are you talking about Erza? If you heard the story from them, you should know what's going on here."

Erza's face stayed neutral. "So, what?"

Gray looked down. His hair shadowing his features. "I'm going to finish this mission."

Erza narrowed her eyes. "What was that?" She said and pointed a sword at him.

Gray grabbed the sword by the blade, surprising everyone in the room. "I made my decision. Sometimes I just gotta do what I gotta do." He said as blood trickled through his fingers.

Erza just continued to stare at him.

Gray stared back, his determination not wavering in the slightest. "So if you want to stop me then go ahead." Gray turned to leave and saw Naruto standing right behind him.

"Well said Gray."

Everyone looked at the constricted Naruto only for it to stick out his tongue and explode in a puff of smoke.

"My thoughts are the same. It wouldn't sit right with me to leave these people to their doom." Naruto said and looked Erza right in the eye. "Any objections, Erza?"

After a couple of seconds, Erza freed Lucy and Happy and walked passed Gray and Naruto. "I can't believe this. You'll receive punishment after we finish the mission."

* * *

"So where do you think he could have gone?" Erza asked.

Naruto pointed to the ancient ruins. "My guess is there."

On their way to the ruins, they were shaken by an explosion going off in the direction of the ruins.

"What was that!?"

"It must have been Natsu!"

"Let's hurry!"

Naruto pulled up next to Gray. "What does that Leon guy hope to gain unsealing that demon?"

"He wants to defeat it because Ur couldn't. His goal was to surpass her."

Naruto grit his teeth. "He'd sacrifice the villagers for something like that?"

Once they got closer they noticed the building was slanted. The entire place was literally tilted to the side, as if it were on an unbalanced scale.

"Natsu most likely did this." Gray said.

The bushes around them began to rustle and cultists started pouring out in great numbers. When they were almost upon the group, Erza pointed to the ruins. "Go. I'll take care of them."

Gray didn't hesitate and left.

Lucy was about to go to, but Naruto put a hand out and stopped her. "Naruto?"

"You and Happy stay with Erza." Naruto said, not taking his eyes off the ruins. "I'm gonna finish this."

* * *

"Guh!" Gray grunted as he blocked a barrage of ice projectiles. 'This isn't going anywhere!'

"What's the matter, Gray? Weren't you going to stop me from "killing Ur"?" Leon asked mockingly. "Whatever, I've already wasted enough time and magic on you as it is. Deliora should be revived any minute now."

Gray clenched his teeth and got up to chase after his senior pupil, but the wound on his side stung with pain and he was forced to his knees again.

Leon smirked and turned to leave when a shuriken flashed right passed his face, cutting his cheek deep enough to draw blood. The ice mage touch his cheek and growled with anger. "Who's there!?"

"I heard you're doing all of this… because you think it's the only way to surpass your teacher." Naruto said as he walked into the ice filled room. He looked over to Gray and frowned at the teen's state.

"What are you doing here!? I told you this was my fight!" Gray said as he formed ice over the gushing wound on his side.

Ignoring his fellow pupil's outburst, Leon kept his gaze on the newcomer. He didn't notice it before, but this person had a powerful aura to them. "Of course it's the only way I can surpass Ur. She's dead. How else am I supposed to surpass her than to defeat the monster she could not?"

Naruto began to walk forward. "You say you want to surpass your teacher, but what you're doing now won't give you that satisfaction."

"What do you know!?" Leon snarled and formed a dozen ice birds around him, before pointing at the ninja accusingly. "Ur was my goal! My dream! I'm willing to sacrifice anything to surpass her!"

Naruto picked up his pace and danced around the ice projectiles.

Growing frustrated, Leon formed another icicle projectile. **"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!"**

The giant ice creation roared as it homed onto Naruto, and the shinobi slid underneath it just before it could clamp onto him with its jaws. But its assault wasn't over when the dragon circled back and flew towards him again.

Naruto jumped into the air and stuck to the top of the room.

Leon smirked. "You're fast, I'll give you that." As he said that, the dragon circled around for a third time, but this time aimed itself at Gray. "So I think I'll just take out the trash instead!"

Naruto grit his teeth and disappeared in an orange flash.

Gray put his arms up in a last-ditch attempt to defend himself, but his eyes widened when Naruto appeared right in front of him. "What are you doing!? Get out of here!"

Forming a single shadow clone, Naruto created a Rasengan. "Your teacher was someone who was willing to sacrifice her own life for the sake of her comrades!" He yelled and met the dragon head on, using the chakra orb in his hand to drill through the icicle beast. "Someone like you could never surpass that!"

When the dragon dispersed, he rammed the Rasengan into Leon's gut.

"Grah!" Leon screamed as the chakra burned his stomach. Then the Rasengan sent him spiraling into a wall.

Gray stared at Naruto's back as he landed on the ground, complete at a loss of words.

Naruto sighed in relief before flinching in pain. He looked at his now bleeding hand and chuckled. "Hehehe… That was probably a little too reckless, huh?"

Gray was at loss of words. Not only had Naruto protected him from what was probably Leon's most powerful technique, but also defeat said make by overpowering the attack. Even if it meant putting himself at risk.

"Sorry for butting in your fight, Gray." Naruto said sheepishly as he helped the ice mage up. "I was just a little fed up with this gu-"

 **Raaawwwwrrrr!**

An earsplitting roar shook the room, surprising both boys.

"Was that Deliora?" Naruto said and Gray nodded grimly.

"You go on ahead. I'll watch over Leon." He said and limped over to the fallen mage. Gray now knew that if anyone could stop Deliora, it was Naruto.

Not wasting anytime arguing, Naruto nodded and took off running.

* * *

" **Raaawwwwrrrr!"**

After a couple minutes, Naruto entered the cavern and saw that the monster had just broken out of the ice completely. It was roaring and smashing the surrounding boulders like a mindless beast.

Naruto noticed Natsu standing with a cackling masked person down below. "Natsu! Is that an enemy?"

Natsu looked up and cheered, relieved to see the ninja. "Naruto? Man, am I glad to see you! They had a single person continuing the ritual up there and it was enough for Deliora to break free!"

Naruto clenched his fists. "So we were too late?"

"Haha! Of course you were! Deliora is here!"

Naruto looked down and was surprised to see Leon crawling next to him. "How did he get here so fast!?"

"Fool! I've spent the last three years on this island! I know this place like the back of my hand!" Leon said and grinned maliciously as the demon continued its rampage.

Naruto sweatdropped. 'I guess that's true… But then what happened to Gray?' He was probably okay, but Naruto was still worried about his friend.

"Now I shall defeat this monster and surpass my teacher, Ur! Ahaha-Oompf!" Leon wheezed when Naruto kicked him in the side.

"Did you not listen to a single word I said back there?" Naruto said before closing his eyes. "You want someone to surpass so bad…"

By now, Deliora had taken notice of them and slowly began to make its way towards them.

"Ugh… Damn you! Don't ruin this moment for me!" Leon yelled before going pale.

When Naruto opened his eyes again, he saw Deliora's massive fist homing towards him. "I'll give you someone to surpass!"

* * *

"I can't believe I let that idiot out of my sight!" Gray said as he hobbled his way into the cave where Deliora was kept. But the moment he entered the cave, Gray's eyes shot wide open when he was forced to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed.

 **Crash!**

Gray quickly recovered and looked the now gaping entryway to find Deliora flat on its back in the forest. "What the…!" He then heard a familiar screeching sound and he turned just in time to see Naruto run passed him with the same technique he had used against Lullaby.

"…Eh?" Had Naruto just… thrown Deliora?

" **Futon: Rasenshuriken!"**

Naruto jumped into the air and threw his most powerful jutsu at the demon.

Gray watched in awe as the technique hit the demon responsible for destroying his home village. He watched as the millions upon millions of tiny wind blades tore the beast apart, leaving nothing behind.

"That ninja… What is his name?"

Gray looked to his left and saw Leon leaning against a boulder, but something seemed different about him. Leon no longer had a lost look in his eyes, like he had found a new purpose. Gray grinned as Natsu ran passed them and jumped onto the shinobi's back, cheering about the completion of their first S-class mission.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

When the group had returned to the village, they had found that the villagers were still the same. But after doing a little questioning, Erza had found out that it wasn't the moon that was changing, but a shell-like forcefield covering the island due to the effects of the moon drip extraction.

In fact, the villagers ended up being demons all along. To group's relief, they were still friendly and they celebrated.

Then, after a night of dancing and feasting, morning came and everyone was on board a pirate ship Erza "borrowed" back to Magnolia.

Naruto whistled at the redhead's handiwork. "I'm impressed."

"You all better get comfortable. Once we get back it's punishment time." Erza said darkly, causing them all to shiver in fear.

* * *

 **A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever!**

 **Ten reviews! Thank you very much! This is the first milestone of hopefully many! XD**

 **Naruto finally decided to join the guild, but he forgot to get his stamp. Where should he get the mark placed? I'll let you guys decide.**

 **So, what did you think of the chapter? What did I do right or wrong? P.M. me or review to let me know because I love the feedback!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I'll see you in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

* * *

 **Omake…**

Everyone stood before Erza as she questioned them about the "curse".

Naruto nudged Lucy. "You made sure to get rid of all of the pitfall traps, right?"

Lucy gulped. "Crap! I forgot to do that!" She said and began to sweat bullets when Erza started pacing back and forth. 'I should be fine, right? I mean… What are the odds of her stepping on one of the traps?'

"…en you should have seen the bright lights at the ancient ruins-kyah!" Erza screamed as she fell into one of the pitfall traps.

Lucy was frantically shaking her head. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me!"

Naruto pat her on the back. "You reap what you sow."

The look on her face was priceless.


	5. You Messed With The Wrong Guild

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I do not Naruto or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised of of 12/29/2016**

* * *

"I can't believe we did all that work for a key." Natsu sulked.

Naruto nudged Lucy, who was walking with a skip to her step. "I bet you're fine with it though."

"Yup!" She chirped. "There are only twelve golden keys out there, and with this one I now have five."

"Now, let's get to the guild to decide your punishment." Erza said and the group visibly deflated.

"Oh yeah... I forgot about that." Lucy said.

An idea formed in Naruto's head and he grinned mischievously. "Yeah, about that... I'm not really in the punishment mood."

The S-class mage stopped and sent him a challenging stare. "What was that?"

Naruto got right up in her face and smirked. "You heard me. I ain't taking any punishment today."

The others watched the scene in horror. Did Naruto have a death wish!?

Erza couldn't believe the words she was hearing. "You broke one the guild's rules-"

Naruto cut her off. "But that only applies to members. Technically, I haven't officially joined yet." Naruto pat himself to show that he had no mark.

"I..." Erza didn't know what to say.

Having thought he won, Naruto began doing a little victory dance.

Erza started trembling with anger.

Everyone else started to back away. 'He's a goner.'

What broke the final straw was when Naruto turned his rear to her and stuck his butt in the air tauntingly, smacking it a few times for added effect.

Erza finally snapped and lashed out at him, but the ninja nimbly avoided all her anger filled strikes.

Naruto laughed maniacally as he ran. "Catch me if you can!"

"You little...!"

The red head chased him all the way to the guild and they both stopped and stared at the sight.

"W-what happened here…?"

The others finally caught up and gasped at the sight. The guild hall was thrashed, multiple steel beams sticking in and out of it.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Who did this!?"

"Phantom Lord."

They turned to see a saddened Mirajane.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail Basement...**

"Yo!" Makarov greeted them casually.

"How can you be so calm after what happened!" Natsu yelled.

"You're right…" The old man said and put down his drink. His arm stretched and he smacked everyone on the head, the girls on their butts. "Bad!"

"Master! Behave yourself!" Mirajane scolded.

"Why aren't you even bothered by this?" Naruto questioned.

Makarov shrugged. "I don't even know why Phantom decided to attack and empty guild."

"What do you mean?"

"They attacked the guild at night while no one was here." Mirajane explained.

The old man waved them off. "I'm sure this is as far as they'll go, so I'll let it slide."

Natsu slammed his hands and the bar. "We can't just let them step all over us like this! Let's go beat them up!"

"Guild wars are illegal. The council won't allow it." Makarov said and gained a stern look. "I won't allow it."

Naruto stepped forward. "Then let me go. I haven't officially joined yet, so you don't have to worry about the council."

The wizard saint got up and left. "This discussion ends here. There will be no fighting with Phantom Lord. Am I clear?" He then ran off towards the bathroom.

Naruto was about to argue when Erza put her arm out in front of him. "Yes master. We will respect your wishes."

Naruto pushed her arm away. "I'm still going. I can't let those Phantom people get away with this."

Erza gave him a stern look. "Listen to the Master and stay put. Besides, you don't even know where their guild is."

Naruto grumbled and sat down. "Fine."

Seemingly satisfied, Erza walked off. There were some things she had to discuss with the master upon his return, like how Naruto had dealt with Deliora by himself.

"Oh! You haven't gotten your mark yet Naruto! Shall I go get the stamp?" Mirajane asked, trying to lighten the mood with a change of subject.

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, might as well get it now before I forget again."

"Wonderful!" She chirped. "Now, where and what color?"

Naruto thought about it for a second and then decided. He grinned widely and put his left hand out, palm facing down. "Here, and in orange please!"

"Okay, one guild stamp coming right up!" She placed the stamp on the back of his left hand. It glowed for a second before she took it off, revealing his mark.

Naruto looked at the magical tattoo in awe. "Sweet."

Mirajane clapped. "Welcome to the family!"

'Family, huh?' Naruto thought with a sad smile and walked over to Lucy. "Hey, check it out." He said and pointed to his new guild tattoo.

Lucy looked at the ninja's hand with wide eyes. "You finally got your stamp, and on your hand too!"

Naruto grinned a foxlike grin. "Yup!"

"What made you get it there?"

Naruto's grin grew. "I thought that since you have yours on your right hand, I'd get mine on my left. It's only natural a team should match, don't you think?"

Lucy blinked before smiling brightly. "Yeah."

Happy landed on top of Naruto's head. "They like each oth-"

"Shut up you dumb cat!" Lucy yelled and began to chase Happy around the basement.

Macao and Wakaba walked over to Naruto. "So, you and Lucy huh?"

Naruto looked at them and nodded. "Yeah. Now that I'm an official member, we can make an official team."

They both looked at each other and sweatdropped. 'Is he really that dense?'

* * *

Naruto and Lucy were walking home from the guild.

"Things have gotten pretty serious huh?"

"Yeah."

Naruto sighed. "It sucks, but the master is right about not doing anything. I guess we'll just have to wait it out until everything goes back to normal."

Lucy covered her mouth and giggled. "So you can be mature sometimes."

"Hey! I resent that!"

Lucy laughed. "So, you know how Levy-Chan's team name is Team Shadow Gear? What's our team name gonna be?"

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't know... it's gotta be cool though!"

They walked up the stairs to the apartment.

"How about Team Summoners?" Naruto suggested thoughtfully.

Lucy unlocked the door. "We both do summon things to fight with us, but-What are you all doing here!?"

Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Happy were all lounged around the place. Erza sat at the table with a cup of tea.

"Yo."

"Welcome home!"

Naruto walked in and waved casually. "Hey guys, what's up?"

Lucy pointed at them. "Why are you all here- no wait… How did you get even in!?"

Natsu gave her a dumb look. "The door, duh."

Naruto chuckled. "Sorry, I told them about the key under the plant outside."

Lucy's eye twitched before she sighed in defeat. "So? What's going on."

Erza put down her tea. "It's possible Phantom Lord might strike at us when we're alone."

Gray nodded. "It probably won't happen, but Mira suggested we stay in a group for a while."

Naruto nodded sagely. "That does make sense."

"So everyone is having a sleepover today!" Happy declared cheerfully.

Lucy walked towards the bathroom. "Alright, if it's just for one night."

"Does anyone know why Phantom attacked us in the first place?" Naruto asked. He wanted to know why they would attack Fairy Tail in the first place.

Erza shook her head. "Our two guilds have never been on good terms, but this is a first."

Natsu grumbled. "I wish the old man would just let us blow them up."

Naruto sat down on the couch. "Me too Natsu, but it can't be helped."

The dragon slayer folded his arms stubbornly like a child. "He's just scared."

Gray scoffed. "He's not scared Natsu, he's one of the ten wizard saints. They don't get scared."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Ten wizard saints? What's that?"

The raven-haired teen sent him a strange look. "You don't know what they are? The ten great wizard saint are handpicked by the council for being the strongest on the continent."

"Strongest huh? Sounds interesting, and old man Makarov is one of them?"

"Yes, so he isn't scared, it's just smarter not to fight."

"If our guilds were to battle, it would be catastrophic." Erza added.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Are they really that strong?"

"Their master, Jose, holds the title of a wizard saint and has the same amount of magic power as our master."

"There's also the Elemental Four, and Iron Dragon Gajeel. He's the iron dragon slayer."

"Dragon slayer? Like Natsu?" Lucy asked walking out of the bathroom.

Naruto laughed. "So wait a second. If Natsu eats fire, then does that Gajeel guy eat iron?"

They all thought about it for a minute. The thought of eating metal was a weird one.

"...That's kinda weird."

"I wonder if it tastes good." Natsu wondered aloud.

Lucy sweatdropped. "I doubt it."

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

"It sure was fun having everyone over." Naruto said while a smile on his face. "We should all hang out like that again sometime."

Lucy yawned. "No way, I could barely sleep. Your snoring is bad enough."

"I don't snore! …Do I?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Like an animal! And having Natsu and Gray in the same room didn't help at all."

He put his hands behind his head. "But Erza slept fine didn't she?"

Lucy stopped and thought about it. The red head did sleep throughout the night without any problems, unlike herself. She had either worn earplugs, or was one hell of a heavy sleeper.

The two walked by a park when they noticed a crowd gathering around a large tree in the center of the place.

"I wonder what's going on?"

"Let's go check it out."

When they got close enough they saw what they were all looking at.

Levy, Jet, and Droy were posted on the tree, the only thing keeping them from falling were metal shackles.

Lucy gasped, mortified by her friend's current state.

Naruto created two clones and ran up the tree to get them down.

At the same time, Natsu and the others showed up. "What happened to them!?"

Naruto put them down onto the grass and the onlookers have sworn his eyes glowed red for a second.

"Is this a good enough reason to fight, old man?" Naruto asked with a low, but even tone.

The crowd moved out the way as Makarov walked over. He looked at the three victims and grimaced. "The can destroy our shabby old bar. But no parent can stay calm after seeing their children's blood."

His killer intent flared, scaring some of the townsfolk. "This means war!"

* * *

Naruto walked into the hospital room that held Team Shadow Gear. "How are they?" He asked his partner quietly.

Lucy wiped her tears and looked up at him with puffy eyes. "They're still unconscious… I won't forgive this."

He sat down next to her. "The others just left to go fight."

Lucy stared at the ninja in confusion. "They already left? Why didn't you go with them?"

Naruto looked at her and smiled gently. "I couldn't just leave my partner behind, ya know?"

Lucy blushed, then smiled back. So he waited for her.

Naruto stood up. "Shall we go?"

"Go where?"

He extended his hand and playfully rolled his eyes. "To help out our friends of course!"

She took his hand and they left.

* * *

Naruto scratched his head. "So where is Phantom Lord again?"

Lucy sighed. "They have multiple guild buildings. But I'm guessing everyone went to their headquarters."

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Then what are we waiting fo… huh?"

Water slowly started falling from the sky and Lucy put her hand out.

"Rain?"

Naruto moved in front of her defensively, looking out in front of them with a battle-hardened expression.

"Naruto?" Lucy said before the sound of wet footsteps could be heard.

"Juvia brings the rain wherever she goes."

Lucy turned to see a lady with curved blue hair holding an umbrella. "What?"

Naruto looked at the girl cautiously. "Who are you?"

Juvia looked at him, then at Lucy, before she began to walk away. "Sorry, Juvia is interrupting."

The shinobi dropped his arms, a dumbfounded look on his face. "Huh?"

The ground next to the strange girl started to stretch up and form a person.

"Non non non. Bonjour with three nons!"

Lucy hid behind her fellow blonde. "What's with these guys?"

"Monsieur Sol." Juvia greeted.

"Juvia-Sama, you can't just walk away from our mission. "This mademoiselle is our target."

Juvia looked back at Lucy. "Oh my, she's the one?"

Naruto lowered his gaze. "Why are you targeting Lucy?"

Sol tilted his head in an inhumanly way, unnerving the Celestial spirit mage. "Who might you be? My monocle has no information on you."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the newest member of Fairy Tail!" Naruto claimed, showing his mark. "I'll ask you again, why are you targeting Lucy?"

Juvia's arm morphed into a water blade. "He is of no use to Master Jose, shall I eliminate him?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Are you from Phantom Lord?"

"That we do! We come to say-" He was cut off completely when Naruto suddenly appeared in front him and decked him across the jaw.

Juvia's eyes widened and jumped back to get some distance. 'He's fast!'

Naruto turned his gaze to the blue haired woman. "I'm not really into hitting women, but you guys hurt my friends, so don't think you're going to get off scot-free."

Juvia stared at him for a second before she blushed a little. "Y-you're right. I'm sorry, I will leave at once." She said and scurried off.

"...What?" Shaking his head, Naruto turned towards the earth shifter.

"Non non non! We will be back for mademoiselle Lucy Heartifilia-Sama, you miscalculation! Our client Jude Heartifilia-Sama really wants her back with three nons!" He began to sink into the ground. "My monocle tells me we succeeded somewhere else."

With that he was gone.

Naruto looked around to make sure they were really gone. He then walked back over to Lucy, who seemed to be shaking. The enemies must have scared her. "Are you okay?"

His words fell deaf to her as Lucy was lost in her own thoughts. 'It can't be him... he wouldn't care enough to do something like this... would he?'

Naruto waved a hand in her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Lucy looked at him and started crying. "It's all my fault, Jude Heartifilia is my father. He must have hired Phantom to get me back. Levy-Chan and the others were hurt because of me. I-"

Naruto cut her off by lightly chopping her on the head. "What are you talking about? Is it your fault for joining the guild you've always wanted to join? I'm sure I can speak on behalf of the others that no one would think this is your fault."

"B-but..." She sniffled.

He pat her on the head and smiled. "No buts. Now let's go catch up with the others."

She wiped her tears and nodded slowly.

* * *

Naruto and Lucy had made it just in time to witness their guild retreating. Makarov had somehow been drained of his magic power, leaving the old man a sickening green. They brought him to Porlyusica, an old acquaintance of the master, and left him there to rest.

They were now back at the guild. With the master's defeat, everyone's morale had taken a big hit.

"How are we going to beat Phantom without the master?" Someone said.

"Is this the end?"

Naruto growled and stood up. "What are you all, babies!? Look, I'm worried about the old man just as much as you are. But moping around and feeling sorry for yourselves is going to get us nowhere!"

They put their heads down, knowing what he said was true.

The shinobi continued. "If we regroup and work together as a team, we'll beat those Phantom goons into the ground! We need to show the world what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail!"

The guild cheered and immediately got to work.

"Does anyone still need treatment?"

"Someone go get the lacrima bombs!"

Satisfied with his work, Naruto turned to find Erza smiling at him.

"That was quite the speech." She said.

Naruto snickered. "I may be an airhead, but I have my moments."

"How's Lucy?"

Naruto looked over to his partner and saw that she was sitting at a table by herself. "She's pinning all of this on herself for some reason. Her father apparently hired Phantom to bring her back to him. Though I don't think that makes it her fault."

The red head nodded. "None of us could blame her for this."

"Right? I'm going to try and cheer her up again." Naruto walked over and sat down next to Lucy. "You know that none of us think it's your fault, right?"

Lucy looked up at him and sighed. "I know, it's not that. It's just... I'm sorry."

Naruto chuckled a little. "What are you apologizing for? You said it yourself, your dad's a douchebag. I gotta ask though, why didn't you tell any of us before?"

Lucy looked down at her feet. "I ran away from home, so I didn't really want to talk about it. Papa hasn't cared for a year since I ran away, but he suddenly wants me back. He's horrible. Maybe if I just go back, this will all end."

Naruto sighed. "You don't have to go anywhere. Not if I have anything to say about it."

He stood up and gave her a thumbs up. "I promise that as long as I'm here, I'll make sure that you can have fun with everyone at the guild without worrying about a thing! You love this place, don't you?"

Lucy stared up at him, her eyes tearing. "Naruto..."

 ***Rumble***

They both looked around when a deep vibrating noise could be heard, and it was getting louder.

"What's that noise?"

Someone ran frantically down the stairs. "Everyone come outside, quickly!"

Naruto ran out to the front of the guild and was completely befuddled at the sight. A giant building walking on six legs was slowly making its way towards the guild.

"Ehhh!?"

A large cannon made itself known and stared to glow brightly.

"This is bad! Everyone get down!"

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Erza ran forward just as the cannon fired.

"Erza!"

There was a blinding light and a deafening sound. People were knocked off their feet. Naruto kept himself up by using chakra to stay grounded.

When everything settled he and a few others ran over to the fallen knight.

"Erza! Are you okay?"

" **First Makarov, and now Erza has fallen..."** A person speaking through a speaker from the walking fortress.

Naruto looked towards the voice and glared. "Jose."

" **Give up Lucy Heartifilia now."**

The Fairy Tail mages yelled in defiance.

"No way!"

"Get out here!"

"Lucy's our comrade!"

Despite her wounds, Erza got up from Naruto's arms. "We'd rather die than give you our comrade!"

Lucy began to cry again. 'Everyone...'

" **Fine... Then struggle for fifteen minutes as we charge an even stronger Jupiter!"**

"Just wait right here. I'm getting sick of this guy." Naruto said and jumped onto the water before taking off towards the metal giant.

"Naruto!"

The ninja looked up to see Natsu and Happy flying above him. "We're going to stop Jupiter!"

"Okay! I'll meet you guys up there!" Naruto said and watched as they flew straight into the cannon. That's right, the first thing they had to do was stop them from firing that canon again. Another shot from that thing and the guild, along with the town, would disappear.

Climbing up to the canon, Naruto crawled through just in time to see Natsu destroy Jupiter's lacrima.

The way he had just came in ripped off the wall and fell into the waters bellow. Naruto looked down with a look of relief. 'That was close...'

"Okay! Now to finish off this guy." Natsu declared, pointing at a guy with black and white hair.

The man took a fearful step back. "T-there's more of you? Fine! I, Totomaru of the Elemental Four, shall take you both on!"

 ***Rumble!***

The whole room started shaking violently.

"What the heck?"

The rainbow fire mage's eyes widened. "The master can't be thinking of doing THAT!? This room doesn't have a way to stay upright!"

Naruto looked at the guy. "What are you talking about?"

As if to answer his question, the room began to turn upside down.

"What's with this place!?" Naruto stuck to the ground and waited for everything to stop moving.

He watched as Natsu tumbled around like a helpless rag doll. "Urrrp...!"

When everything stopped moving, the blonde hopped down to what he hoped was the ground. "Can someone tell me what just happened!?"

Totomaru looked at him and smirked. "It's now complete. This is our guilds most powerful weapon, the Super Mage Giant Phantom MK II!"

Naruto looked over at his pink haired friend, who was on his knees suffering from motion sickness. 'Well he's not going to be fighting anytime soon...' His attention was turned back to Totomaru when he heard the man scream out in surprise.

Totomaru's entire body was now completely frozen. Elfman ran passed Naruto and grabbed the enemy with his beast arm, then proceeded to throw him hurdling out of the building.

Naruto shrugged. "Well that works. Hey guys, how are things outside?"

Gray spoke first. "Not good. Everyone is fighting off Jose's Shade magic and now this thing just turned into a giant robot. We nearly fell off while climbing up."

"But real men don't fall off of giant robots!"

The room started to shake again. What was with this building, was it a fun house or something!?

"I'm going to go see what's going on now." Happy said and flew outside.

Gray kicked Natsu on the head. "You're so useless you know that?"

His only response was a groan.

The shaking stopped and the dragon slayer jumped back up. "Oh! It stopped." He then turned over to Gray and shook an angry fist. "What was that for, punk!?"

While they were arguing, Happy flew back in with a troubled expression. "Guys, it's terrible! This place really did turn into a giant robot and it's charging a super powerful spell that's going to destroy the city!"

They all looked at each other and started to sweat.

"We should split up and try to find this thing's power source." Naruto suggested and pointed up. "I'm going to the top of this thing and summon Gamabunta to cripple this thing. You guys find a way to stop the cannon!"

They all nodded split up to stop the building from leveling the city.

* * *

Finding himself on top of the mechanical monstrosity, Naruto looked at the magic circle it was creating. "I still don't know much about magic, but even I can tell that thing is almost complete. I better get Bunta to cut off the arms."

He was about to summon the chief of toads when it started raining. "This again? Then that would mean..." He turned to find the rain woman making her way towards him.

"Drip, drop. Hello again Mr. Sun." Juvia greeted with a neutral expression.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "Mr. Sun?"

The girl blushed lightly and pointed at his hair.

Looking up to where she was pointing, he realized what she was referring to. "Oh, you mean my hair- wait, no! How do I stop this thing from destroying the town?"

Juvia looked at him with sad eyes. "Juvia's sorry, but Juvia cannot say, please hand over Lucy if Mr. Sun wants it to stop."

The shinobi crossed his arms. "Sorry, but that's not gonna work. I told you before that I don't like hurting girls, but if you keep targeting my friends then you're in for a world of hurt!"

Juvia blushed again and turned around, confusing the blonde again. 'It's happening again, this pitter patter in the chest!' She turned and looked at the confused boy, he was tapping his foot impatiently. 'I must make him mine no matter what!'

Running out of patience, Naruto spoke. "Hey are you okay? Whoa!" A sphere of water enveloped his entire body. He fruitlessly tried to swim out but found that no matter how hard he swam, he didn't move an inch. 'I can't get out! This is just like Zabuza's water prison jutsu!'

She looked at him sadly again. "No one can escape Juvia's water lock. Good bye, Mr. Sun of love!"

'What the heck is she saying!? Wait, now's not the time for that! I'm running out of air!' Naruto frantically thought of ways to escape and remembered when he was eaten by that snake during the chunin exams.

He crossed his fingers. " **Kage Bushin no Jutsu**!" Clones started popping into existence around him, slowly filling up the water dome. 'I'm not done yet!' Was his last thought as he kept creating clone after clone. The water bubble, having reached its limits, finally burst and Naruto gasped for air.

Juvia's eyes widened in shock. 'He escaped the Water Lock!? Juvia was sure it was inescapable! Is this fate?' She thought, heart-stricken.

Naruto fell to the ground and glared at her, water dripping down his face.

'Why is he looking at Juvia with such cold eyes? Yes, this man is an enemy. Juvia must be strong! It is war!' Her eyes now determined, she shot streams of water at him. " **Water Slicer**!"

Naruto ducked out of the way and threw a couple shuriken at the water women.

The throwing stars merely passed right through her with a splash. "What the heck!?"

"Yes, Juvia is made of the rain itself."

"That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, this time catching her off guard.

"W-what?" Juvia was completely taken aback. 'He said Juvia was cool? He... likes Juvia? Love!?' Her head began to steam up. 'He said he likes me. He said he likes me. He said he-'

"Hey watch out!" Naruto called out, snapping Juvia out of her thoughts. She realized she was now dangerously close to the edge. "Wha-"

The building suddenly shook a little and she fell off. "Ahh!"

Naruto lounged over to the edge and grabbed onto her hand. "Hold on!"

Juvia looked up at him with wide eyes. 'He... he saved Juvia...'

Naruto pulled her up and sat down. "That was close! What were you thinking walking so close to the end?"

Juvia put her head down as the blonde scolded her. "…Why would you save Juvia? We're enemies."

Naruto stopped talking and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Well, enemy or not I can't just stand by and watch a pretty girl like you fall to her doom, can I?"

'Pretty? He called me pretty?' Juvia's mind was going in all these different directions when Naruto spoke again.

"You know you're pretty weird you know that? You kinda remind me of someone back home, even if it's only that you're both weird. Though, I like weird people like you." He said and grinned a foxlike grin.

Juvia's mind overloaded and she passed out.

"Uh... are you okay?" Naruto asked, waving a hand in the girl's face. This woman really was weird.

"Naruto!" Elfman and Mirajane were running towards him.

Naruto stood up and walked towards the siblings, meeting them halfway. "Mira-Chan? What are you doing here?"

The barmaid shook her head. "A lot happened but there's no time for that. Is she one of the Elemental Four?" Mirajane pointed at the unconscious Juvia.

Naruto shrugged. "I think so, she was pretty strong."

Elfman pumped a massive fist. "Then we just need to beat one more!"

* * *

"So the Elemental Four are this thing's source of power?" Naruto asked as they ran through the building.

Mira nodded. "Yes, now all that's left is Aria, the wind."

Elfman growled. "He's the bastard that drained the the master's magic power."

Naruto nodded. He was lucky to have run into that Juvia girl then. "Where's Natsu and Gray?" There was a slight explosion and the building started rumbling again. "This place is really starting to get on my nerves with all the shaking!"

"This must mean Abyss Break was stopped!" Mirajane cheered.

" **Attention Fairy weaklings. We have succeeded in capturing Lucy."** Jose spoke through the speakers.

The three gasped. "How did they get her!?"

" **Ahh! Let me go!"** Lucy's voiced shrieked.

"Stop it!" Mirajane screamed.

A red aura started foaming around Naruto, making the Strauss siblings take a step back. "Naruto? What's th-" Their words stopped there as blonde's appearance changed.

Naruto's eyes were now bloodshot red and his whisker marks were thicker. His nails both on his hands and feet grew long and sharp. To put it simply, he looked possessed.

"Naruto... that appearance." One moment he was just standing there, and the next he was gone in the blink of an eye.

The two just looked at each other worriedly.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are heating up! Naruto finally joined the guild! What will he do once he reaches Jose while under the Kyuubi's influence?**

 **Find out next time on the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S. In case you didn't already know, I also like to make music. I just posted a Naruto and Fairy Tail crossover song on my SoundCloud. I guess you could call it the "unofficial" theme song for this fic! :p**

 **Pretty lame, I know. I put a link to it on my profile if anyone is interested!**


	6. Family

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 2/20/2017**

* * *

"Jose!" Naruto roared as he stormed down the hallways of Phantom's moving guild, coming to a stop when he came into a room with Natsu, Gray, and Erza.

They all looked at him in shock. "Naruto!? What happened to you?"

Natsu sniffed the air. "You smell funny."

"I'll explain later, where's Jose?" Naruto all but growled at them.

An intense wave of pressure hit them.

Gray gagged. "What's this vile feeling!?"

"My my, what a ferocious appearance."

Naruto looked up and glared death at the man. "Jose! Where's Lucy!?"

The guild master put a hand up. "Now now, no need to get impatient."

"Don't play games with me!" Swinging an arm out, a red hand made purely of red energy extended towards Jose. The attack went right through him and his body flickered.

"Naruto, that's just a Thought Projection! Be careful!" Erza warned.

Naruto looked around for his target. "Show yourself, you bastard!"

A bunch of dark human shaped figures came out of the shadows and latched onto the shinobi.

" **Shade Entangle."**

Their grip on Naruto increased tremendously, causing him to grunt out in pain.

The real Jose came out of hiding and chuckled. "Don't bother struggling, it will only make it worse." He said and watched with glee as his shadows strangled the blonde.

"Naruto!" His friends sprung into action.

The wizard saint extended his hand and ghosts began to swirl around it.

" **Dead Wave**."

He swung his arm towards the duo and a large purple beam completely engulfed their forms.

"Gah!"

They flew across the room and slammed into a wall, falling to the ground with a sickening crunch.

"Grrrr!" Naruto called upon more of the Kyuubi's power, gaining a complete cloak complete with ears and a tail.

Jose watched with mild interest. "Now, what is this malicious power you're calling upon?"

With one final grunt, Naruto shattered the spell binding him. He then lounged at Jose, easily twice as fast as before.

'Such speed!' The master wizard barely dodged the slash, escaping with only a minor cut on his cheek.

"I'll have to play a little more serious with this one. How about this!?" Jose swiped his hand horizontally and the area around Naruto exploded. "I'm not done yet!" He continued to do this until he sensed something from underneath him.

He jumped just as another red arm burst from the ground and tried to grab him. "Is that all you got brat!?"

The arm retracted back to Naruto. He blurred towards the smirking mage once more.

Ducking under a horizontal swipe, Jose charged another shot in his hand. " **Death Wave**!" The beam hit its target at point blank range and his smirk grew wider. What he didn't expect was for the blonde to explode in a puff of smoke.

"What!?" He whirled around but it was too late as Naruto thrust a purple sphere into his torso.

" **Vermilion Rasengan**!"

Jose's scream was silenced by the deadly attack's explosion.

* * *

Lucy was propped against a wall by an iron shackle. 'If only I had my keys.'

 **Ching**!

She flinched as another iron dagger embedded itself into the wall near her head.

"Gi hi hi!"

She opened her eyes and glared at the man responsible for throwing.

Gajeel, Phantom lord's Iron Dragon Slayer, was messing with her like a predator toying with its prey.

"I almost feel sorry for you all." Lucy said with pity in her eyes.

The iron dragon slayer smiled wickedly. His arm morphed into a sword and proceeded to slowly walk towards her. "What was that girl?"

A Phantom Lord member ran in front of him. "Gajeel stop! We can't kill her, the master said-"

Wham!

Gajeel backhanded the mage, knocking him out of the way. "Out of my way, I don't give two shits!"

Lucy continued defiantly. "You all just made enemies of the strongest guild in Fiore!"

"The only thing you Fairy Tail are good at is being weak!" He brought his sword up and struck down at her.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut. 'Naruto!'

 **Crash**!

A man flew through a couple of walls, and skid to the ground in front of Lucy. "W-what?"

Gajeel looked at the now unconscious mage with wide eyes. "Master Jose was defeated?" He sniffed the air and turned towards the hole in the wall his master crashed through. 'What is this scent…?'

Lucy looked where he was gazing and found Naruto. "Naruto-" She gasped at her partner's appearance.

Naruto looked at Lucy and saw how she was bruised and there were knives sticking to the wall around her. He lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his crimson eyes. "Lucy... who did this to you?"

Lucy didn't get a chance to say anything when Gajeel laughed. "That would be me. Are you the one who defeated our mas-"

 **Bam!**

Gajeel was completely cut off by Naruto's fist carving into his face.

Gajeel flew across the room and he caught himself in the air. Once he landed he barely had enough time to cover his arms with iron to block another blow.

Now fully covered in iron, the dragon slayer roared and thrust his fist with all his might. Everyone in the room had to shield their eyes from the shock wave that came from the mighty punch.

Lucy's shackle broke off the wall and she fell to the floor. When she looked up she gasped when she saw that Naruto had caught Gajeel's fist, his hand steaming from the impact.

Gajeel gulped and began to sweat. "W-what are you?"

He wasn't answered.

Naruto brought his clawed fist back and rammed it into the metal man's stomach.

"Guhah!" Gajeel fell on his knees and coughed up blood. How could this guy inflict so much damage on him through his iron skin!?

Naruto kicked Gajeel in the chin and the man bounced off the roof and back to the ground. He then jumped on top of him and continued to beat him.

The Phantom mages cowered in fear as they watched their strongest member get pummeled. "M-monster!"

Naruto stood up, palming Gajeel by the face and effortlessly lifting him off the ground. He pulled fist back for the final blow and just as he was about to finish the job, someone grabbed his arm. Growling and turning to look at who it was, his face softened when he saw Lucy.

She was crying. It took her all just to stand, let alone hold onto his arm.

It burned. The corrosive chakra burned at her skin but she didn't let go. "S-stop... please... This isn't you..."

The vile chakra began to seep back into the seal, and Naruto's features began to revert back to normal.

Seeing a familiar pair of ocean blue eyes, Lucy let go.

Naruto dropped his crippled enemy and caught her. "Lucy... I... I..."

Lucy smiled weakly. She could already feel herself slipping away into unconsciousness "Let's go back... to Fairy Tail." Having pushed way passed her limits, she fell asleep.

Naruto began to shake. "…I'm such an idiot!"

"You're right, you are brat."

Naruto turned to see Makarov sitting on some of the rubble. "Gramps, I-"

The old man raised a hand and Naruto clamped his mouth shut. "We'll talk about it later." He then looked at the fallen Phantom mages. "You didn't kill them, did you?"

Looking at them and seeing their chests move, if only slightly, the blonde sighed in relief. He had completely lost it. Anymore and he surely would have broken Fairy Tail's most important rule.

The sound of cheering could be heard outside.

Makarov spoke. "Let's go. We've won."

Naruto looked down at Lucy one more time before picking her up and following the master.

* * *

 **One Week Later…**

Naruto took a bite of his food. "I can't believe the stupid council questioned us for a whole week!" He looked up and saw Natsu and Gray competing against one another to see who could carry more wood. One of them tripped on a rock and they both crashed down, the wood beams buried them.

The blonde laughed at them, slapping the crate he was sitting on. "Haha, you guys suck! I bet I could carry ten times the amount you had, and more!"

Natsu's head popped out of the pile. "Oh yeah? Then do it!"

Gray's head came out next. "Hey, where'd you get the food?"

Naruto looked at the pink bento box in his hands. "Oh, this? I sorta just found it after I woke up from my nap. It was probably Lucy, I'll have to thank her later."

Natsu and Gray shivered when they suddenly felt an intense killing intent. "What was that?"

Naruto just looked at them, oblivious of what they were feeling. "What was what?"

"Natsu! Gray! Quit messing around!" Erza scolded. She had requipped into a construction worker's outfit.

The rivals grumbled and began to pick up their mess.

"What was that?" She growled challengingly.

"N-nothing Erza!"

"Aye!"

Naruto laughed at their panicked state.

Erza turned her attention to the laughing teen. "Naruto, you too! Stop eating and help out!"

Naruto just looked at her pointed behind her.

Following his finger, Erza saw that there were over a dozen Naruto's helping all over the construction site. Ignoring his smug look she sighed. "At least do something productive."

Naruto got up and dusted himself off. "Yeah yeah. I was going to go find the old man anyway."

"What for?"

Naruto looked back at her and scratched his cheek. "Complicated stuff..."

She frowned. "I hope that you will share these... complications with the rest of us sometime? Or Do you not trust us?"

Naruto sighed. "It's not that, it's just... I'm not ready to tell you all yet. I will though, I promise."

Humming in approval, Erza left.

Sighing again, Naruto went off to go find Makarov.

"Now where is that old man... Oh right, the giant." He walked over and yelled. "Hey, gramps! Got a minute?"

The giant looked down and shrunk back down to his original size. "Yo! Naruto my boy, how can I help you?"

The blonde put his hands in his pockets. "I dreamt of a fox while I was slacking off and I wanted to tell you about it."

The old man nodded. "Follow me, I'd like to hear more of this dream of yours."

They walked to a secluded area and sat down at a bench.

"So? You ready to share?"

Naruto steeled himself and nodded. "Yeah… It all started on the day I was born. My home village was attacked by a giant demon fox. They couldn't defeat it because it was so powerful, so the current leader at the time, the Yondaime Hokage, sealed half of it into a newborn baby."

Makarov closed his eyes. "That infant was you."

The jinchuuriki nodded. "Yes."

The old man stayed silent, his expression neutral and unreadable.

Naruto looked down. "I can leave if you want-"

Smack!

Makarov smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Naruto stopped yelling when he heard laughter. "W-what are you laughing for?"

"Now why would I kick you out for something as silly as that that?"

Naruto frowned. "Silly? You saw what I was like while only using a portion of its power! What would happen if I lost control!?"

"Your family would stop you." Makarov said with a serious tone, and Naruto's eyes widened. "I've told you once before, here in this guild we treat all of our guildmates like family. If one of us is in trouble, we help them."

Naruto remembered what Mirajane said when he got his guild stamp. 'Family...'

Makarov stood up and started walking back towards the guild. "Why don't you tell everyone about this... demon fox and see how they react. Then you can decide whether to stay or leave."

Naruto thought about what the old man had said and smiled. 'He really is like the old man Sarutobi.'

With a new plan developed, he ran off to go gather everyone up.

* * *

Naruto was walking to his and Lucy's shared apartment, but he wasn't alone.

"Why are you guys following me?" He looked back to see Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza walking behind him.

"Because we're worried about Lucy."

Gray elbowed him on his side. "Or did you want to be alone?" He asked slyly.

The blonde shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. Just don't be too crazy, I bet she's still a little sore from..." He remembered the burn marks left on Lucy's arms from the Kyuubi's chakra.

Erza put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." She still didn't know about the demon sealed in his gut.

"Hey, Naruto."

Naruto turned to see an exhausted looking Loke. He didn't know the guy all that much, just that he was scared of Lucy for some reason. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah. Here, can you give these to Lucy?" He asked and tossed a set of keys to the ninja.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh! I totally forgot she lost them! Thanks!"

Gray looked at Loke worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay man? Were you looking for those this whole time, because I have haven't seen you around lately."

The womanizer smiled weakly. "It's hard being a feminist."

Natsu snatched the keys from Naruto's hands and ran off. "Let's go see if Lucy wants to play!"

Naruto chased after him. "Hey! Remember what I told you!?" He turned back and waved. "Thanks, Loke! I owe you one!"

Erza and Gray ran after them.

* * *

Natsu opened the front door. "Lucy! How's it going!?" He yelled, Happy mimicking him.

No one answered. "Huh? She's not here."

Everyone else walked in. "She's not?"

Naruto knocked on the bathroom. "Lucy? You in there?" When no one answered, he opened the door and found no one. "Not here either."

"Where's Lucy!?" Happy cried out and opened a cabinet. "Wah!" A bunch of letters fell and piled onto him.

Natsu picked up the letters and read some of them. "These are letters to her mom."

Gray looked at Naruto. "Did you know these were here?"

The blonde shook his head. "That area is off limits for me. She gets mad whenever I try to read her stuff."

"Guys."

They turned to see Erza holding a piece of paper.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"I'm going home." She read, shocking all of them.

"She went home!?"

"She probably still feels responsible!"

Naruto dashed out the door.

"Naruto?"

A couple seconds later, he came back. "Do you guys know where Lucy used to live?"

They all sweatdropped.

* * *

Lucy walked through the hallways of the Heartifilia mansion. "Are you sure you don't want to change before seeing your father?" One of the maids asked her.

She shook her head. "No, I won't be long."

Stopping in front of the large doors to her father's study, she took one final breath before opening the doors. "Hello, father."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto and the rest were running towards the giant mansion just as Lucy was walking out of it.

Lucy looked up and was surprised to see a crying Happy fly into chest. "What are you guys doing here!?"

Naruto stopped in front of her and pulled out the note she left. "We found this note and thought you weren't coming back."

She looked at the note before laughing.

They all looked at her like she was crazy. "What's so funny?"

She wiped a stray tear before answering. "I just came here to visit my mother's grave."

"Ehhh!?"

* * *

"Naruto stop pouting, you're acting like a child."

Lucy got no response.

"Look, I'm sorry, I should have left more than just a note."

Nothing.

'Honestly, this boy is such a child…' Lucy thought with a sigh. Though knowing he was so worried about her made her kinda happy. "Wanna go get some ramen at the guild?"

Naruto's ear twitched. "...Can we get miso ramen?"

Bingo.

Lucy shook her head in amusement. "Sure."

* * *

Naruto and Lucy walked up the construction site of the guild and heard Mirajane yelling. "We can all finally take jobs again! Thank you all for your hard work!"

The guild members cheered.

Naruto looked at his partner. "Hey wanna take on a job? It's been a while since the last one."

Lucy sat on one of the stools. "Not today, I'm still sore from Aquarias' butt whooping."

Naruto chuckled. "Not gonna lie, that was pretty funny. Is she always like that?"

"It probably would have been worse if you weren't there." Lucy said and shivered.

Mirajane walked over to them. "Hey you two. Are you going to do a mission today?"

Naruto sat down next to Lucy. "Not today Mira-Chan, but can I get some miso ramen please?"

She giggled. "Of course, just give me a minute." Before she could leave they heard a crash behind them.

"I dare you to say that again!"

"Erza?" Naruto saw the redhead talking to a tall blond man with a scar going down his right eye. "Who's that?"

"Oh yeah, you didn't see him because you left with Mystogan. That's Laxus, one the strongest members in our guild." Mirajane explained.

"Then I'll say it again. Our guild doesn't need weak members." Laxus said smugly.

Naruto already didn't like this guy.

"You bastard." Erza growled.

The tall man pointed at Levy, Jet, and Droy. "I heard you were beaten up by Iron Dragon Gajeel. Pathetic!"

Lucy frowned as she watched her friend get badmouthed. "How mean."

Laxus turned to Lucy and sneered. "Well if it isn't the princess who caused all of this herself."

Naruto got up and got right into his face. "Hey, back off."

Laxus smirked. "Oh, sorry if I offended your girlfriend. What was your name again newbie?"

The tension was intense and some of the guild members unconsciously took a step back.

Erza grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "Stop, he isn't worth it."

Naruto stared at Laxus for another second before turning away.

"Hah! It's disappointing that you have to be protected by women, and here I thought you might be worth something!"

Naruto growled but sat back down.

Laxus turned and started walking away. "Once I take over this guild, I'll make all the weaklings disappear!" He laughed and walked off.

Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That was tense. At first I thought you two were going to go for each other's throats."

Naruto grunted. "Him, become the next master? Don't make me laugh!"

"It's actually quite possible." Mirajane said sadly.

"Huh?"

"Because Laxus is the master's grandson."

"Ehhh!?"

Naruto looked at her in disbelief. "How could someone like that be that old man's grandson!?"

Erza walked over to them. "That's why you should just avoid him all together. Here, I have an idea. Let's take on a mission." She handed Naruto a mission request.

"Destroy and illegal magic school?" He read.

Erza nodded. "Yes, Natsu and Gray will come too."

The two rivals glared at each other.

Naruto looked at Lucy, who nodded happily. "Okay, we're in."

* * *

"Why do you guys have to be so destructive!" Lucy yelled.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "It couldn't be helped; the enemy was about to activate a bomb."

"You probably did more damage than the bomb would have!" She huffed and sat down. "And because of that, we don't have enough money for this month's rent."

"S-sorry…" Naruto said before he suddenly stood up.

"Naruto?"

"Sorry, I just remembered I had some things to do. I'll be back in a couple of days."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Couple of days!? What things are you doing!?"

Naruto waved her off and ran off. "See ya!"

Lucy pouted as she watched her partner run off. 'Just what is he up to?'

* * *

Stepping off the carriage Naruto read the job description again.

 _Mysterious Destruction In Jungle_

 _Please Investigate_

 _400,00 Jewels Reward_

"If I do this solo, I'll get enough money for rent and maybe even a challenge!" Naruto

"You best be careful out there kid, there's a terrifying beast in this area." The carriage driver warned.

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry, I'm a trained ninj- er... mage! I can take care of myself."

The driver shrugged indifferently. "If you say so."

Thanking the man, he waited till he was out of sight before he jumped into the trees.

"Man, I missed doing this!" He said to himself as he jumped from branch to branch. The first thing he had to do was look for a sign of where the beast could have been.

Naruto continued this way of travel until he spotted an unnatural looking clearing. 'What do we have here?'

Hopping down, he spotted scorched trees, shattered boulders, and giant claw marks in the dirt.

"Whatever did this must be massive!" Sitting down in a meditative position, he began to call upon natural energy. Opening his now toad-like eyes he began to sense for anything.

'Hm... nothing but wildlife...'

He got up and jumped back into the trees. 'Better go somewhere higher for a better look.'

Stopping at the foot of a nearby mountain, he jumped onto the side and began to climb it. Once he reached the top, he looked around for anything suspicious. But all he found was a gorgeous bird's eye view of the place. "What a view!"

The whole jungle could be seen from where he was. He noticed some of the trees were shaking violently in the distance. 'Got you.'

Naruto jumped from his post and began to descend back to the earth. Crashing through the leaves, he grabbed onto on the branches and swung off of it. He landed on a nearby tree and began to travel in the direction he saw the trees moving.

Once he got closer, he felt a familiar feeling. 'This feeling, it's just like those demons…'

He then began to hear something. It almost sounded like... "Someone's screaming!"

Picking up the pace, Naruto finally reached his destination, and what he saw surprised him.

A fifty-foot white tiger stood over a broken horse carriage. What surprised him the most were the two tails swinging back and forth behind it.

"Somebody, help!" He was drawn out of his thoughts by the panicked scream. Running towards the beast, he crossed his fingers and created a group of Shadow Clones. "Hey! Ugly!"

The beast looked over in his direction and snarled.

"Pick on somebody your own size!"

"You overgrown hairball!"

The tiger turned away from the carriage and started walking towards the clones. While the clones distracted it, the real Naruto snuck around. There was an old lady holding an unconscious man in her arms.

"Hey, you okay?" Naruto asked, nearly shocking the woman out of her skin.

She quickly got over her surprise and pleaded. "Please, help us! We were just taking our stock through this trail and that thing appeared out of nowhere and ate our horse!"

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." He felt the memories of his Shadow Clones enter his mind. Looking over the crashed carriage he saw the two-tailed tiger walking towards them again.

Turning back to the merchants, he created two more clones. "These guys are going to take you to safety."

She nodded gratefully. "Oh, thank you! Please be careful dear!"

Naruto jumped over the carriage and slammed a nature chakra enhanced fist into the beast's nose.

" **Grawrrrr!"** It roared in surprise.

"I'm not done yet!" He jumped onto it's back and started wailing on it, though he had to jump off when the tiger's fur burst into white flames. "Whoa!"

He dodged a swipe and jumped back to get some space. "I think it's time we ended this." Summoning two clones, Naruto put out his hand. While the clones did their job, he noticed something. His replicas didn't have guild marks on their hands like he did. 'That's interesting...'

They popped when the attack was complete and he hurled it at his enemy. The giant tiger tried to slash at the Rasenshuriken but it cut right through its arm and hit true.

 **Boom!**

Naruto watched the giant blue explosion of tiny wind blades. 'I can never get over how crazy this technique is…'

He then walked over when it was finished and checked to see if it was over. Kicking it once and getting no response, he assumed the demon was dead.

Sitting down, he closed his eyes and drifted into his mindscape. When he opened them again, he found himself in a familiar sewer.

Walking down the seemingly endless hallways, he knew exactly where to go.

Entering a large room, he looked at the enormous bars that were held shut by a single tag.

Giant, bloodshot red eyes opened and peered down at him. **"It's about time you came to see me, human."**

Naruto just looked up at the giant fox. "I got a couple questions to ask."

The Kyuubi snorted. **"You have some nerve to barge in here and demand from me. Very well, ask."**

"What do you know about all of this? This dimension, these demons like the one I just defeated. You've lived for a long time, surely you know something."

The fox grunted. **"Yes, in my years I have learned a vast amount of knowledge. Too much for your feeble mind to even comprehend."**

A tick mark grew on Naruto's head. "Are you going to tell me anything, or am I just wasting my time you stupid fox!"

He got a laugh as a response.

" **I'll tell you one thing, you've just stepped into a deep load of-"**

Naruto didn't even bother listening to the rest and left his mindscape.

Sighing, he stood up and dragged his prize towards the nearest town.

* * *

A/N: Man, writing out action scenes are tough. Sorry if the action is a little bland. :p

Anyways, what did you guys think? What did you guys like? Dislike? Let me know!

I just started college this week so that's why I didn't post this chapter until now. Don't worry! I'm still going to post as soon as I possibly can!

Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!


	7. A Vacation? Nope!

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 2/20/2017**

* * *

A crowd was gathering where Naruto dragged the demon he slayed. Though it was to be expected. It wasn't every day you saw a teenager dragging a giant tiger into town.

"Is it dead?"

"Who is that guy?"

"I heard he's from Fairy Tail!"

Smiling at their astonishment, Naruto spoke with the mayor. "I believe this is the cause of the destruction in the jungle?"

Giving a shaky nod, the mayor handed him a large envelope. "Y-yes, I believe so. Here, this is for you. You've well earned it."

Taking the package and sealing it into a storage scroll, he thanked the man and turned to leave.

"COOOOOLLL!"

"Huh?"

A blonde man ran up to him holding a notebook.

Naruto pushed him away to get some much-needed space. "Whoa man, too close!"

"Are you the rumored new member of Fairy Tail?" He asked eagerly.

"Y-yeah." The ninja answered hesitantly.

"COOL!"

Naruto took a step back from the strange guy. "Um... who are you?"

"I'm Jason, a reporter for Weekly Sorcerer Magazine! What is your name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki-"

"COOL! What kind of magic do you use?"

"Um, I guess it would be cloning magi-"

"COOL! COOL! COOOLLL!"

Naruto was starting to get a little annoyed. "Well if that is all, I got a train to catch-"

"Is it true that you defeated Phantom Lord's master Jose and Iron Dragon Gajeel single handed?"

Seeing as there was no end to this anytime soon, Naruto took off running. "Yeah! See ya!" He heard a fading series of "Cool!" as he got farther away.

"Man, that guy was crazy! Hope I don't run into him again anytime soon."

* * *

"Hey guys! I'm back!" Naruto said as he walked into the guild bar.

The other guild members greeted him before going back to whatever they were doing.

He sat down at the bar in front of Mirajane. "Hey Mira-Chan, can I get some miso ramen? I'm starved!"

She giggled. "Do you eat anything besides ramen?"

The blonde shrugged.

Cana sat down next to him. "Hey Naruto, long time no see."

"Hey Cana, how's it been?"

She took a swig from her barrel. "It's been pretty boring lately. Want some?" Cana asked, offering him a drink.

"No thanks." Naruto declined. He never really saw the appeal of alcohol. Whenever the pervy sage had made him drink the stuff, it only got in the way of his training.

Cana shrugged. "If you say so."

Naruto looked around. "Have you seen Lucy around?"

Looking around as well, Cana shook her head. "Not sure, last I heard she was getting ready for a trip." She then gained a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, you and Lucy huh? I hear you're living together, you must be serious."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we split the rent fifty-fifty. Though she gets the bed and I get the couch."

Cana grinned slyly and elbowed him lightly. "Have you made your move yet?"

Naruto sent her a puzzled look. "Move? Did she say we were moving?"

Rolling her eyes she pat him on the back. "You really are dense."

Naruto gained a tick mark. "Hey! Why does everyone say that!?"

Mirajane walked back with his steaming noodles and placed it in front of him. "Here you go!"

Naruto smiled at her gratefully, completely forgetting about everything else. "Thanks!"

Cana sweatdropped.

The ramen addict began to chow down when he heard his name. "Naruto! You're back!"

He turned to see Lucy and the rest. "Hey guy! I just got back from my job."

Happy jumped on top of Naruto's head. "Hey Naruto! Did you know Loke was a lion!? He's a grown-up cat!"

"Huh?" Naruto looked to Lucy for an explanation.

"Long story short, Loke was a Stellar Spirit, Leo the Lion." She said showing him Leo's key.

"Huh, I can't believe I never noticed." Naruto said. Though to be fair, it was hard to notice something you were never around.

"He also gave us tickets to a resort!" Natsu yelled, flailing his ticket around.

Naruto looked at the tickets, baffled. "A resort!? Sweet! Can I go!?"

Lucy handed him a ticket. "There was one for you too, so of course!"

Grabbing it, he jumped in excitement. "Yahoo! A resort!"

Natsu and Happy joined in the cheer and everyone laughed at their enthusiasm.

* * *

 **At The Resort…**

After a long day out in the sun, Naruto found himself in the resort's casino. A small crowd was starting to form around him. Everyone had decided to go their separate ways and explore, so Naruto had decided to play the slot machines, and he was doing good. But since he had already gotten money for this months rent, he didn't really have a need for it all.

"Who is this guy!?"

"He just keeps winning!"

Naruto sighed. 'Gambling is so boring… I wonder why the old lady likes it so much.'

Having played enough, he picked up his buckets of coins and walked off to cash in his winnings. He laughed internally at the looks on the crowd's faces.

Sitting down at a bar, he waited for someone to come over and take his order when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Naruto-Sama?"

'Sama?' Naruto turned and to his surprise, the weird blue haired girl from the Elemental Four stood behind him. "Oh! You're from Phantom Lord!"

Juvia sat down in the seat next to him. "Yes, though Phantom has now been disbanded. Juvia is now an independent mage."

Naruto had to cover his eyes when something shined in his eyes. He noticed the large Fairy Tail necklace she wore and raised an eyebrow, along with other things. The girl was wearing blue dress that showed off her impressive bust.

"I take it you want to join Fairy Tail?" Naruto asked and looked away nervously to hide his growing blush.

Juvia nodded eagerly. "Very much so! Juvia saw how friendly everyone is at Fairy Tail, and... Naruto-Sama's in it..." She mumbled the last part.

Naruto thought about it for a second. "Well, I personally don't mind. You don't seem like a bad person."

Juvia smiled at him brightly. "So Juvia has a chance?" Her question having more than one meaning.

Naruto folded his arms. "It's not for me to decide." Seeing her face saddening a little, he gave her a reassuring smile. "But thinking back, you didn't really hurt any of us, so I'm sure the old man would let you join."

Juvia clasped her hands together in joy. "That would be wonderful!"

A shadow creeped over the two and they turned to see a giant of a man raising a massive hand.

"Hey, look out!" Naruto tackled Juvia out of her chair just before it was destroyed.

People around them began to panic and flee the area.

Naruto looked backed and yelled at the guy. "Hey! What's your problem!?"

"Ahn~"

Hearing the strange noise, Naruto blushed furiously when he saw that his hands grasping Juvia's chest. 'S-soft…'

Juvia looked away bashfully. "So bold..."

Quickly regaining his senses, Naruto quickly got off the girl. "S-sorry! I- er- um-"

The giant coughed and looked away awkwardly, seemingly embarrassed.

"I-it's not what you think!" The blonde stammered.

Regaining his posture, the stranger pointed at Naruto. "Are you the one called Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto calmed himself and became serious again. "Depends who's asking. What do you want?"

"Where's Erza?"

'You ask that after attacking us?' Naruto thought with a sweatdrop before he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want with Erza?"

Something seemed to catch the man's attention and he began talking to himself. "Oh, you found her? Okay, I'll be there shortly."

Juvia got in front of Naruto. "I won't let you hurt Naruto-Sama."

The shinobi was about to tell her not to worry about him when his vision went completely dark. "What the?" He heard the man's voice.

"You can't escape the darkness."

Naruto sensed an incoming attack and pulled Juvia and himself away to avoid it.

Looking around and still seeing nothing but darkness, he put his hands together. " **Kai!"**

Nothing happened. "Why can't I break through this illusion!?"

The voice came again. "Because it is not an illusion. My DarkMoment takes away the light, and leaves only darkness."

Growling in frustration, Naruto lashed out randomly. He stopped when he suddenly fell into water. 'Was I near a fountain or something!?'

He tried swimming where he felt was up, but he got nowhere. 'I still can't see anything! At this rate I'm gonna drown!'

After a couple seconds of panicking, Naruto began to feel the water rush away.

He hit the floor and gasped for air. Drowning while not being able to see a thing? Worst. Feeling. Ever.

"Naruto! Are you okay?"

Opening his eyes, he found Lucy and Juvia both starring at him worriedly. "Yeah, what the heck happened to me?"

Juvia twiddled her fingers. "Juvia wanted to protect Naruto-Sama, so Juvia put Naruto-Sama in her body…"

Resisting a nose bleed, he shook his head. "Thanks, just warn me next time okay?" He then turned his attention to Lucy, who was blushing a little herself. "Where is everyone?"

Shaking away her thoughts, she gained a slightly panicked look. "These random people just showed up and kidnapped Erza!"

"Hey guys! What happened?" Gray ran up to them. "I heard panicking before I lost my vision for a second."

"OOOUUCH! THAT HURT!"

They turned to see Natsu going on a rampage. "What normal person would shoot someone right in the mouth!?" He yelled, holding his jaw in pain.

"Natsu! Where did they go? Can you still smell them?" Naruto yelled up at the raging teen.

Natsu looked down at them and growled. "Of course I can!" He sniffed the air. "Blocky bastard, you're gonna pay!" He said and stormed off in a random direction.

Naruto turned to the others. "Erza's been taken Gray, let's follow Natsu!"

Gray's eyes widened before he nodded and they ran after the dragon slayer.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

Naruto looked around and saw nothing but ocean. "Are you sure you can still smell them smell them Natsu?" His response was a weak yes.

They were currently on a small boat in the middle of the ocean.

Gray stood up suddenly. "Damn it! I can't believe they took Erza and Happy!"

Juvia nodded her head sadly. "It's hard to believe a mage as strong as Erza-San was defeated."

The ice mage glared at her. "Erza sure as hell didn't lose. You don't know anything about her!"

Juvia whelped at his cold stare and hid behind Naruto.

Naruto put an arm out in front of the girl and frowned. "Hey, calm down Gray. Getting angry isn't going to help anyone."

Gray sucked his teeth and sat back down.

"Hey Lucy, you were with Erza right? What exactly happened?"

The celestial spirit user put her head down in thought. "She said something about those guys being her former comrades." She then sighed. "Though when it comes to Erza, no one really knows anything thing about her…" Noticing something out in the distance, Lucy pointed. "Oh! Look, there's a tower!"

Looking at where she was pointing, they all saw a giant tower.

"What's a tower doing in the middle of the ocean?" Gray wondered aloud.

Naruto stood up at the front of the boat and pointed at the mysterious structure. "I don't know, but that's where Erza and Happy are, and we're gonna get them back!" He declared, with Juvia cheering at his heroic display in the background.

"Urrp... blurp!" Natsu groaned in agreement.

Lucy and Gray both sweatdropped. 'Are we going to be okay?'

* * *

After hiding their boat, the group hid behind some rocks to survey the area.

"That's a lot of guards…" Lucy said meekly as she peeked her head out.

Naruto and Natsu both cracked their knuckles. "Bet I could beat more than you Natsu."

The pink haired teen laughed. "Yeah right! I'll beat twice as many as you, and save Happy and Erza!"

Lucy smacked them both on the head. "Oh, no you don't! If you do anything reckless, you'll put them both in danger."

The waters behind them swirled and Juvia's head appeared. "Juvia found a way into the tower's basement underwater."

Naruto grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Oh! Nice Juvia!"

The water woman smirked at Lucy. "Juvia one, Lucy zero."

Lucy smiled awkwardly. "...What?"

"How far is it?" Gray asked.

"It is about a ten minute travel." Juvia said. "You should have no problem holding your breath that long, yes?"

"That's not possible!" Lucy yelled when she saw the boys preparing to jump in the water.

"Then please use this." A water bubble formed on Juvia's hand. "This water keeps oxygen in it so you can breathe underwater."

Naruto took off his jacket and tied it to his waist. "Okay, everyone ready?" He asked while putting on a water bubble.

They all nodded and one by one jumped into the water.

* * *

A hooded man sat in a throne with a chess board in front of him. He moved a couple pieces behind a lone knight piece and grinned.

Another man with long black hair walked over to him. "Jellal-Sama, Erza has escaped and there are intruders in the basement."

Jellal's grin grew wider.

"...I take it you already knew of this?"

"But of course, this is all just a game. I'm curious to see its outcome."

* * *

"Gah!" The last of the guards shouted in pain as he was quickly dealt with.

Naruto laughed. "It's funny that we were actually trying to be stealthy with these two with us."

"Says the one wearing bright orange." Gray retorted. "Besides, it's because of this loud mouth that we were caught."

Natsu growled. "We wouldn't have been caught if it weren't for you getting in my way!"

Naruto laughed again and started squeezing the water out of his shirt. "So what are we going to do now?"

As if to answer his question, a door above a ladder creaked open.

"...Well that works." Naruto said and walked over to the ladder, but was stopped by Lucy.

"Wait, what if it's a trap?" Lucy asked skeptically.

Naruto waved her off and started climbing. "We'll just power through everything they throw at us. Isn't that how we've always done things?"

Natsu rushed up behind Naruto and Gray walked passed her. "He's got a point."

Juvia walked passed her and went up the ladder as well.

Seeing as they weren't going to change their minds, Lucy just sighed and followed everyone.

After climbing up, Naruto looked around the room. "There's no one here, so come on up."

"Where are you blocky bastard-oof!" Naruto smacked Natsu onto the ground.

"I'd rather not have the enemy know where we are all of the time thank you very much."

Juvia looked at where they came in. "It's probably already too late for that. Seeing as this door wasn't opened from this side, it must have been opened magically. Meaning the enemy must have a way of knowing where we are."

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Magic is confusing…"

Gray looked around in thought before looking at Lucy. "Where did you get those clothes!?"

"I had Cancer bring me some clothes from the spirit world earlier. What do you think Naruto? I can probably ask to get you some dry clothes as well." She looked over only to completely deflate when she saw Juvia drying his clothes with her magic.

"Here Naruto-Sama, allow Juvia to get the water out of your clothes."

"Oh, thanks! They were getting kind of annoying too."

Juvia looked over at Lucy with a smug look and put up a peace sign.

Lucy got a little red in the face. 'Why am I getting so frustrated?' She noticed Gray and Natsu holding back their laughter, causing her to get even more red. "W-what?"

"Hey! There's the intruders!"

"Crap they're here already?" Naruto got ready to fight again only to relax when he saw a familiar face. "Well there she is."

Before anyone could ask what he was talking about, the guards started screaming and falling.

"Erza!"

The red head finished off the last enemy and looked up at them in shock." W-what are you guys doing here?"

Naruto walked up to her and grinned, happy to see the girl was alright. "What, did you expect us to just let them take you and not do anything about it?"

"Yeah, and they have Happy too!" Natsu shouted in agreement.

"...Go back." Erza suddenly said, surprising them all.

"Huh?"

"I'll take care of Happy, you guys shouldn't get involved."

"No way! Do you know where he is?" The dragon slayer steamed.

Erza looked away. "No... I don't."

"Okay then! Here I come Happy!" Natsu yelled and ran off before Erza could stop him.

Naruto shook his head. "Man, that guy's louder than I was when I was a kid."

Lucy sent the ninja an incredulous look. "You're still loud."

"Hey!"

"We should probably go after that idiot." Gray said and started to run after Natsu but was stopped by Erza. "Hey what gives?"

"Leave, I'll get Natsu and Happy. I already told you I don't want you getting involved."

Naruto was starting to get a little annoyed. "Would you stop it already! Look, we came here to get you back and we're not gonna leave just because you tell us to. Like it or not, we were involved the moment those guys attacked us-Ow!"

Lucy elbowed Naruto in the side. "I think what Naruto was trying to say is that we're your friends and we'll always be here to help you."

Erza began to tremble a little.

"C'mon Erza, this isn't like you. Just tell us to follow you like you always do and we'll help you out, it's as simple as that." Gray said coolly.

Erza turned to look at them with a teary eye.

Lucy elbowed Naruto again.

"OWW! Uh, s-sorry Erza."

Erza shook her head and wiped her tears. "No, I'm sorry. Whether I win this fight or lose, I will disappear from this world."

Naruto frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"It's unavoidable, so let me tell you about this place. The Tower of Heaven, otherwise known as the R system."

* * *

"So that is why I must be the one to stop Jellal."

Naruto clenched his fists. 'So, she wants to take care of this by herself because she feels responsible for her past comrade's actions…' But there was something else that was bothering him. "Who is that Zeref person you mentioned?"

Erza looked at him in surprise. "You don't know who Zeref is? He is the most notorious dark mage in history. He's also responsible for creating Lullaby and Deliora."

Naruto looked down in thought. 'What does this mean?'

Erza continued. "He could create monstrosities like that with little effort."

"Then we can't let Jellal revive him at all costs." Naruto declared.

Erza frowned and was about to tell them to leave again when a newcomer spoke up.

"Nee-San... What are you talking about?"

They turned around to see one of Erza's old comrades. He seemed to be shaken up quite a bit, most likely from what he had just overheard.

"Shou..."

Shou took a step back. "Jellal saved us from the ships you bombed because you went mad with power!"

"She's telling the truth Shou."

The big guy that had attacked Naruto and Juvia walked into the room.

"Came back for more huh?" Naruto said and got ready to fight, but stopped when the man raised a hand.

"I had no intention of killing you at that time."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Then what are your intentions?"

"Jellal has lied to all of us. I pretended to believe in him and bid my time."

Simon looked at her sheepishly. "I always believed in you, Erza."

Erza looked at her old friend in bewilderment. "Simon..."

Shou was beginning to freak out. "How could you trust her just like that? Why don't I trust Nee-San like you?" He slammed his fists to the floor. "Damn it! Who do I believe in?"

Erza knelt next to him. "I'm sorry... I was too weak to do anything in the past. I never forgot about you guys."

Simon walked over to them. "You're ready now, right?" His answer was a determined look. "Good, with all of these powerful mages, I'm sure we can defeat Jellal if we work together."

Naruto raised a hand. "We still gotta find Natsu."

Gray sighed. "Why'd that idiot have to run off like that."

Erza stood up and took command. "Okay, first we find Natsu and Happy. Then we'll fight our way to the top of the tower and stop Jellal." After seeing no objections, she nodded. "Let's go!"

* * *

Jellal picked up a chess piece and knocked over two other pieces. "Salamander has defeated Wally and Milliana. Simon and Shou have betrayed us. Things just keep getting interesting."

The other man present spoke up. "Jellal-Sama, we should just capture Erza now and start the ceremony."

The hooded man grinned. "Perhaps you would like to go?"

Two other people walked into the light from the shadows. One was a tall man with an owl head wearing a jet pack, and the other was a woman in a dress holding a sheathed sword.

"It's your turn now, assassin's guild Trinity Raven."

* * *

Naruto and the others were following Simon down the halls of the tower when a bunch of creepy mouths started sprouting all over the place.

" **Welcome to the Tower of Heaven! I am Jellal, the ruler of this tower. I believe it's time to begin our game. The Heaven's game."**

Naruto looked at one of the mouths. "That's not creepy at all."

" **Oh yes, I forgot to mention. I have selected three warriors for you to battle. It's their job to stop you from stopping me from using Erza as a sacrifice to revive the dark wizard Zeref. One last thing before we officially start, there is a chance that the council will use Etherion to destroy this place. So, without further adieu, let the games begin!"**

"Etherion!?"

Naruto looked at his friends in confusion. "What the heck is an Etherion?"

Gray sighed. "Were you living under a rock until recently or something?

While Naruto shot Gray an annoyed look, Erza began to explain. "Etherion is a magical weapon of mass destruction. It has a level of power that puts even the Jupiter canon to shame."

Naruto's eyes widened. "We better hurry and get Natsu and Happy then!"

The swords women nodded. "Yes. We should get goin-!" She was cut off when Shou suddenly trapped her in his card magic.

"Erza!"

Shou held Erza in his hand and looked at her. "Don't worry Nee-San, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you!" He said and took off running.

Simon began to run after the fleeting boy. "I'm going after Shou and Erza! You guys search for Natsu!"

Naruto sighed and looked at the remaining mages. "I guess we have no choice. We should split into two teams to cover more ground."

Gray nodded. "I'm worried about Erza, so I want to go after her."

Juvia looked at Lucy. "Juvia will go with Naruto-Sama. Lucy-San will go with Gray-San."

Lucy sweatdropped when she saw that Naruto had already left with Gray. "I take it we're going to go find Natsu then?" She called out to the ninja while the water mage visibly deflated.

Naruto grinned and shouted back. "Yeah! I'm counting on you two!"

Gray gave him a worried look. "Are you sure it's okay to leave those two alone?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why not?"

The ice mage just sighed and continued running. "You might just be as dumb as Natsu."

Naruto fumed. "Hey! You picking a fight with me today or something!?"

* * *

 **Some Time Later…**

"Natsu!"

"Natsu-San!"

The two girls were looking around for Natsu, but were having little to no luck.

"You would think that with his good hearing, he would have heard us by now." Lucy huffed.

"Just like Gajeel-Kun. His nose as well?"

'Gajeel...Kun?' Lucy remembered the scary iron dragon slayer. To think this girl referred to someone like that with "Kun".

"Why must Juvia look for Natsu-San with Lucy-San?" Juvia bluntly said, completely ignoring her.

Lucy shrugged. "It couldn't be helped, Naruto and Gray left to find Erza."

The water woman nodded in agreement. "That's right, Naruto-Sama is counting on Juvia! But to put Juvia with her rival in love... does Naruto-Sama wish to start a fight?"

Lucy just looked at her dumbly. "What are you talking about, rival in love? Naruto and I are just teammates. We're partners, nothing more."

Juvia stared at her with disbelieving eyes.

Growing uncomfortable under the stare, Lucy quickly spoke again. "I-it's true! Who would like that slob!? He's a ramen addict, he snores, and tries to act mature when he's just as childish as Natsu! Why are you writing all of that down!?"

Juvia hid the notebook in a flash. "Hm… Juvia must learn how to make ramen then."

Lucy sweatdropped before cringing and covering her ears when a terribly loud noise rang throughout the halls. "What is that?" She looked at Juvia and the girl didn't seem to be affected by it. "You can hear this, can't you?"

Juvia kept a neutral expression. "It's a nice tune."

Both of their attention was caught when they noticed a man walking towards them while twirling his long black hair. "HEY YA, GIRLS! This is my concert of HELL!"

* * *

 **A/N: 31 reviews, 120 followers, and 91 favorites! Thank you very much! I'm glad to see that my first attempt at writing fan-fiction is actually digestible. :p**

 **All jokes aside, what did you think? Now Juvia is right when she calls Lucy a rival in love. XD**

 **I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, so in the meantime, review to tell me what you thought I did right or wrong. Or maybe if you want something to happen, or just to say hello! Anything is accepted! I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	8. A New Bond

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 2/20/2017**

* * *

"How far did that guy get!?" Gray shouted in frustration.

"I don't know but be on guard, there are people up ahead." Naruto said as they entered an open room.

Coming to a stop, the two noticed a strange looking man standing in front of a smoking Happy and an injured Simon.

"What are you doing!? I thought you were going after Erza!" Gray shouted angrily.

"Sorry, I got a little… Preoccupied." Simon replied, struggling to get up.

Naruto ran over to the burnt cat. "Happy! Are you okay?"

"Naruto... that guy... he ate Natsu!" He choked out.

"Ehh!?" Naruto looked at the enemy and pointed at him in shock. "That guy has a bird head!"

The bird headed man looked at them. "More of them? Tastes the flames of justice! Who-who~!" He spit a large flame at Naruto and Happy, and the blonde picked up the exhausted feline and jumped out of the way.

Landing next to Simon, he gently put Happy down.

"Be careful, he is absorbing Salamander's magic." Simon warned.

"Don't forget about me!" Gray shouted as he bumped a fist in his hand. **"Ice Make: Lance!"** Large streams of ice flew at the assassin.

The birdman fired another shot of flames, desecrating Gray's attack and covered him in flames. "Gahh!"

"Gray!" Naruto was about to jump in when the flames became frozen solid.

"Compared to Natsu's flames, these are nothing." The ice mage taunted and tossed the ice aside.

Sighing in relief, Naruto turned back to Simon. "Which way did that Shou guy go?"

He pointed in the direction he last saw his friend go. "Please, save Erza."

Naruto nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll bring her back, it's a promise!" Turning over to Gray, he shouted. "Hey Gray! You take care of things here, I'm going ahead!"

Jumping out of the way from being gobbled up, Gray yelled back. "Yeah! We'll catch up shortly!"

"Who-who~! You think you can escape?" The bird headed assassin charged towards the fleeting ninja, but his path was blocked by a wall of ice.

"Your opponent is me!" Gray shouted.

"Very well. Who-who-who!"

* * *

As Naruto ran down the halls in the direction he was given, he couldn't help but worry about the others. 'I hope everyone's alright… Huh?'

Something started pulling at him from the back of his mind. 'The Kyuubi? What could that fox want right now?'

Coming to a stop, he closed his eyes and went into his mindscape.

Opening his eyes again, he found himself in front of the nine-tailed fox. "What do you want? I'm busy."

The fox growled. **"Insolent human, and here I was trying to warn you of a very powerful energy."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Powerful energy?"

" **I believe your friends called it, Etherion."**

"Ehh!? They really are going to fire it!? Is it being fired now!?" Naruto shouted, beginning to panic.

Growing annoyed of his jailer's obnoxious screams, the Kyuubi shouted. **"Would you just shut up and let me finish!?"** The fox's voice boomed, shaking the entire room.

Now having the blonde's full attention, he continued. **"As I was saying, no it is not firing, but I can faintly sense the... magic being gathered."**

"Do you have an estimate on when it will be done charging?"

The demon seemed to think about it for a second. **"If I were to guess, I would say about fifteen to twenty minutes or so..."**

Naruto looked at his prisoner in suspicion. "Why are you suddenly being so helpful?"

" **...Because it wouldn't be beneficial for me to have you be killed in another dimension."**

Naruto turned back and waved. "Well thanks, I guess. See ya!" After hearing a loud grunt, he closed his eyes again and left his mindscape.

"Huh, I guess that fuzzball has a heart after all." Naruto mused to himself.

With that done, Naruto got up and started running again. 'Well now that I know that the council really is going to fire that thing, I gotta hurry and get everyone out.'

"Nee-San!"

'That's Sho! I better hurry!'

Picking up his pace, Naruto turned a corner and found Erza and Shou down the hall. There was a pink haired woman lying on the floor talking to them, but he couldn't make out the words. "Erza!"

The red head turned her head in his direction. "Naruto?"

Skidding to a stop in front of her, Naruto looked at the fallen assassin. "Who's that? Wait, scratch that. The council is going to fire Etherion soon! We need to get out of here!"

Erza nodded. "Yes, that's why I want you and Shou to go look for Simon and the others and get everyone out of here."

"And what about you?" Naruto asked with an even tone, already knowing the answer.

Erza looked down the hallway fiercely. "Jellal."

Sighing, Naruto turned to Shou. "Well, you heard the lady."

The tan teen was hesitant at first but then ran off, but the ninja didn't move a muscle.

Seeing this, Erza looked at Naruto with a slightly irritated look. "You don't plan on going, do you?"

Laughing, Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "Sorry, but I promised everyone that I'd find you and make sure you got out in one piece." He pointed to his headband. "I don't go back on my promises, ya know?"

Erza turned and nodded, a slight smile on her lips. "Very well. But I'll be the one to take down Jellal, he's my responsibility."

Naruto rolled his eyes but nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go, we don't have that much time."

* * *

"How disappointing. The game is already over." Jellal said while knocking down some chess piece. At the same time, Erza stepped into the room.

"Is it really that fun playing with people's lives?"

The hooded man grinned and turned to face his guests. "Hello, Erza. It has been awhile." He then turned to the teen standing next to her. "Welcome to you too, Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto frowned. "How do you know my name? I don't think we've met, though I could have sworn I've heard your voice somewhere." Seeing the looks he was getting from the other two in the room, he fumed. "I'm not talking about the mouth speaker things!"

"Oh, you really are an interesting person." Jellal said while taking off his hood, revealing his face.

Naruto pointed at him in surprise. "Ah! You're that guy from the council!"

"No, that man you met in the council is Jellal's older brother. Siegrain." Erza explained.

The blue haired man expanded his arms. "Well then, shall we begin, Erza?"

Naruto looked at Erza worriedly. She was covered in scratches, and only a couple bruises, but mostly looked okay. But what worried him the most was that she looked exhausted. Her magic power must be low. "Hey, are you sure you can still fight?"

Erza nodded, not taking her eyes off her enemy for a second. "This is my fight. I will see it through."

Still frowning, Naruto reluctantly stood back.

Gripping her sword firmly, Erza yelled and she dashed towards her former comrade. "Jellal!"

Dark magic swerved around Jellal's arms. "Come! Erza!" He shot his arm forward and fired a beam of magic at the swords woman.

She jumped out of the way just in time, but couldn't dodge the second blast that came after. "Guh!" It hit her directly, knocking her through the wall and out of the tower.

"Erza!" Naruto ran over to help.

Thinking fast, Erza jumped off of the debris falling next to her and back into the tower.

Catching her breath, she looked up to see a worried Naruto standing in front of her.

"Are you sure you're okay? Look, I know that this is something you need to do, but if this goes on, you might die."

She smiled at his concern for her. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Huh?"

Naruto was suddenly outside of the tower.

"Eh?"

He then began to fall.

"What the hell Erza!?" Looking up at her and seeing her sad smile, Naruto knew exactly what was going through her mind. "Damn it! When get back up there, you better still be alive or I..."

Naruto's voice faded from her ears as the ninja descended.

Jellal laughed maniacally. "That's just great. How does it feel to push your comrade to their death?"

Erza glowered at the man. "He won't die from that. Let's finish this."

* * *

Naruto's mind was thinking furiously for a way out of his current situation. 'Come on! Think!'

Getting an idea, he summoned a shadow clone. The clone then proceeded to grab him and throw him precisely at one of the windows.

With a crash, the blonde rolled a couple times and finally came to a stop. "Phew… That was close one…" He then looked around and sighed. "Great, now I gotta run all the way back up there and make sure that idiot doesn't-Ah!" Naruto was forced to shield his eyes when a blinding light came out of nowhere and blinded him.

"Is this Etherion!?"

There was a loud boom and everything went blank.

* * *

 **Outside The Tower…**

 **Boom!**

"What was that just now!?" Lucy cried out as their boat shook violently. Thankfully they had Juvia's magic to protect them from the violent waves. Otherwise their little boat wouldn't have stood a chance.

After having met up with everyone, Lucy and the others had gotten back onto their small boat and were now floating away from the Tower of Heaven. With the inclusion of Erza's past comrades, it would be an understatement to say it was crowded.

"That was probably Etherion." Gray muttered, and looked down when he felt something squirm from underneath his foot.

"E-Erza… Blurgh! Damn… it!" Natsu croaked while suffering from his motion sickness.

"Pardon me askin, but why did you subdue the dragon slayer?" The blocky cowboy named Wally asked. "I've experienced firsthand how powerful that boy is and he surely would have been our best shot at defeating Jellal."

"This useless guy?" Gray said and applied a little more pressure on Natsu's back when the teen tried to drag himself off the boat. "We have another member that's still inside that place."

"Juvia hopes Naruto-Sama is alright…" Juvia said and Lucy put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. He's Naruto after all." Regardless of what she said, Lucy was still just as worried about her partner.

Gray nodded. If there was anyone in their group who could end all of this, it was that guy.

* * *

"Ugh..." Naruto slowly opened his eyes. "Am I dead?" Shaking the blurriness away, he looked around to find that he was surrounded by crystals. "What the..."

The place looked like it was covered in ice, only it wasn't cold.

"I better hurry up and make sure Erza's okay." Naruto said.

As soon as he reached the top floor, the sight was really something. What was once a throne room was now an open field of crystals.

But Naruto was quickly pulled out of his astonishment when he heard Erza scream.

"Ahh!"

Springing into action, Naruto ran to where the scream came from and saw that Erza was being pulled into the tower. It was like her body was slowly being fused into the crystals.

"Oh, great Zeref! I offer this woman's body as a sacrifice to yo-" Jellal was cut off when Naruto punched him in the face. "Gah! What!?"

Naruto cracked his knuckles. "Just you wait… There's a lot more where that came from."

Erza looked at the shinobi in disbelief before growling. "What are you doing here!? I thought I told you to let me-"

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, stopping Erza midsentence. "You want to end all this by dying? You think you have to do all this by yourself because this guy was your friend?" Naruto looked back at the girl and frowned. "But what about us!? The friends you have now?"

"I…" Erza looked away as he pulled her out of the lacrima, as if ashamed by his words. She then shook her head and grabbed onto Naruto's arm. "Jellal is my responsibility! You just don't understand!" Naruto was a nice guy, and she respected his strength. But they had only just met about two months ago, how could he understand her?

"I understand just fine. You want to protect us by shouldering all of this pain by yourself." Naruto said and turned back to face Jellal, who was watching them with a smirk on his face. "But we don't need protecting. _I_ don't need protecting."

Erza shook her head defiantly, tears streaming down the side of her cheek. "I appreciate how you feel, but he's too powerful!"

"Then just watch me." Naruto said and wiggled out of the girl's weak grip. "Learn to rely on your friends!"

Kicking off the ground, Naruto dashed towards Jellal with a kunai in hand.

"You can't win! You don't understand him!" Erza yelled and tried to get up to stop him, but found that she just didn't have any strength left. All Erza could do now was watch as her comrades, old and new, fought what would likely be to the death.

Jellal grinned excitedly. 'The mysterious Naruto Uzumaki… Show me what you can do!'

"Jellal!" Naruto yelled and slashed at the mage, but Jellal was quick to jump back. Nevertheless, Naruto continued to attack. "I'll teach you what happens when you mess with my friends!"

'He's fast… Better not underestimate this one.' Jellal mused to himself and activated one of his many magical abilities. **"Meteor!"**

Naruto's eyes widened when Jellal suddenly disappeared from his sight. 'He got faster!' He searched for his opponent and quickly spotted the man running around the crystalized room at an almost blinding speed.

"Hah! You'll never be able to hit me while I'm using this speed!" Jellal taunted but was instantly caught off guard when Naruto intercepted him. The shinobi landed a spinning kick to Jellal's side and sent the mage straight into a lacrima wall. "Guh… But how!?"

"I'll admit you're fast, but I've fought faster." Naruto taunted back.

Erza was dumbfounded by how fast the two were, wondering if she'd even be able to keep up them.

Jellal ground his teeth in anger, he had been running as fast as he could! How could someone be so fast without using any magical enhancement!?

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the mage's frustration. It was always funny when villains acted all high and mighty, because he always caught them by surprise. The looks on their faces never got old.

Jellal calmed himself. Getting worked up over something as trivial as this was not something the one chosen by Zeref himself would do. "Hmph. It seems that you're faster than me. Well, no matter." A bright aura began to shine around Jellal's form, making him hard to look at directly. "I'll just have to overwhelm you with my heavenly magic."

" **Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"** Naruto created a couple clones and charged forward. "Charge!"

'Speed and clone magic… A strong foe indeed. However!' Jellal thought and ran right passed the clones. Sidestepping punches, jumping over kicks, Jellal finally made it to the other end of the ninja and his doppelgangers.

"What, you just gonna dodge all day?" Naruto asked, his clones shouting out childish insults.

A chuckle slipped passed the blue haired mage's lips.

"Naruto, look down!" Erza warned.

"Huh?" Naruto and his clones looked down just in time to see a series of lights in a constellation-like pattern.

Jellal put his hands in front of him. **"Grand Chariot!"**

"Naruto!" Erza screamed as the whiskered teen and his clones were consumed by the explosive spell. She wanted to take care of Jellal by herself, but that was clearly no longer an option, and Naruto needed her help.

With a new resolve, Erza mustered the strength to stand. But when the smoke cleared, she gasped. Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"Ahaha! All that talk and he gets incinerated! What a fool!" Jellal said between laughs.

Erza growled and turned to face the man. But upon noticing something, she smirked. "I wouldn't be so sure."

Jellal frowned. "What are you-"

"Man~! That would have hurt if it weren't for sage mode."

Jellal whirled around and there stood Naruto, the now aching thorn in side. But there was something different about him. His eyes were now orange with slit pupils. "You… How did you survive that attack!"

"I get one heck of a boost in endurance when I'm in this mode." Naruto said before folding his arms. 'Though I'm glad I left a couple shadow clones behind to gather nature energy, otherwise that attack could have been the end…' He may be able to enter sage mode faster in this world, but it never hurt to be too careful.

Losing control of his anger, Jellal lashed out with a burst of magic, but his eyes widened when Naruto simply swatted the magical attack out of the air as if it were a bug.

Naruto folded his arms again. "You're lucky I'm holding back, otherwise I might knock you off the tower. It's kinda hard to hold back while in sage mode, but I'm tired of all this pointless bloodshed so let's just stop."

"Pointless… Holding back?" A tick mark formed on Jellal's forehead. "I decided to see how powerful you were because you interested me… But now I think I'll just destroy you here and now!" He screamed and flung himself at the sage.

Naruto waited for Jellal to close the distance between them before striking him into the air with an upper cut.

"Gah!" Jellal gasped in pain as he saw stars, and not the kind that could be seen in the open sky.

Naruto created two shadow clones they formed a Rasengan in each of his hands. He then jumped into the air above the stunned man. He was about to make contact when Jellal caught himself on the ground and slid away, the twin Rasengans drilling right through the lacrima floor. "Oh, you dodged?"

"Stop, you fool! You're damaging the R-System!" Jellal demanded when he noticed the damage the blue spheres had done to the tower.

Naruto raised an eyebrow before a lightbulb went off in his head. "What? You mean like this?"

 **Smash!**

Jellal quivered with anger when Naruto began to destroy more parts of the tower. "You little…"

Naruto crossed his fingers, intent on finishing the job with a couple shadow clones. "Now for the finishing touch… W-what the!?" Naruto noticed his arm was beginning to grow, and toad-like warts were popping up all over his body. "What the hell!?"

Jellal noticed the teen's changes and barked with laughter. "It seems that power of yours is overtaking your body."

Naruto was too busy trying to figure out why he was turning into a toad to listen to anything else. 'Why is this happening!? I'm drew in the surrounding natural energy just like I always do, so why!?' Could something be interfering? Even if there was, he didn't have time to figure out what it could be right now.

'I finally have enough strength back!' Erza thought as she stumbled her way over to the blonde. "Naruto! What's wrong?"

Noticing the redhead walking towards him, Naruto dropped into a meditative position. "I don't know why this is happening, but it's going to take me a second to fix my arms." He frowned. "I know I said that I'd take care of everything, but I need you to buy me some time." Without Fukasaku and his wicking stick, it was going to take Naruto some time to change his body back to normal. Why did sage mode have to do this to him now of all times?

 **Flash!**

The two covered their eyes as blindingly bright light lit up the area.

'What now?' Naruto groaned internally.

"I think it's time I end this!" Jellal declared and crossed his arms upwards.

'That stance…!' Erza thought with wide eyes. "Do you plan to destroy the whole tower!?"

Jellal grinned maniacally. "It's no matter, I'll just build another! Now, die!"

Naruto cursed. He couldn't move or he'd turn into statue. 'Guess there was only one thing I can do…' He thought and prepare to push Erza out of the way. Since they were both going to die anyway, he'd rather give the girl a chance at beating Jellal. Who knew? Maybe he'd even survive being hit by the attack and not turn into a statue.

But before Naruto could move a muscle, someone brushed passed him, and he could faintly hear the words: "Take care of Erza for me…"

" **Altairis!"**

 **Boom!**

When things finally calmed, Naruto opened his eyes and saw Simon standing in front of him and Erza protectively. The man had taken the full brunt of Jellal's attack in their stead.

Erza gasped, refusing to believe what she was seeing. "S-Simon…"

The man looked back and smiled before falling to the floor, dead.

"NOOOOO!"

Erza's cries echoed in Naruto's ears. Never in his right mind did he think he would ever hear the girl scream like that. Nor did he want to. But here he was, listening to one of the strongest woman he'd ever met whaling in pain over the death of one her old friends.

"Hahaha! Now that's what I call dying in vain!" Jellal wheezed as he laughed in uncontrolled bursts.

Naruto slowly closed his eyes and dug deep into his mind. 'Hey, fox. Help me out for a second…'

Regaining control over himself, Jellal sighed. "Now then, shall we end… This… What are you doing?"

Wondering what Jellal was talking about, Erza turned to where he looking at. "Naruto… That form again." Just like how she'd seen him during their battle with Phantom Lord, Naruto's body was covered by an eerie red aura.

Jellal gulped at the sight of the blonde's ferocious appearance, unconsciously taking a step back. For the first time in eight years, he felt fear. "This power… This must be the power you used to defeat former wizard saint Jose, am I right?"

Naruto just continued to glare at him with his soul-piercing red eyes. The fox had just finished flushing the rest of the sage chakra from his system. "Jellal."

Jellal almost flinched from the tone Naruto was using, but managed to keep his composure. In fact, he faked a smirk. "What?"

"I'm giving you one last chance to give up. I can't guarantee you'll live when I'm like this."

Feeling his anger rise again, Jellal clicked his teeth and shot his hand up. A ball of dark magic swelled in his palm before he thrust it forward. **"Dark Mass!"**

Several tentacles of dark energy shot out of the ball in his hand and they homed onto Naruto.

But the blonde suddenly vanished.

Jellal blinked as time seemed to slow down at that moment. He could see his Dark Mass traveling through the air, but towards nothing.

But then he sensed it.

It came at him in an instant. Behind him. A killing intent so powerful that it made Jellal come to a realization.

He was a fool to have challenged this monster.

 **Crack!**

Jellal gasped as every bit of air was knocked out of his lungs, and he was flung into and through a lacrima formation. He would have fallen off the tower, but Naruto appeared right above him and landed a dropkick that sent Jellal crashing down several stories of the tower.

Erza blinked as Jellal's Dark Mass finally hit the ground. Naruto had moved so fast, she couldn't even tell what had just happened!

Naruto landed on the ground, his eyes never leaving the gaping hole in the floor. He didn't know if that had finished Jellal or not, but now wasn't the time to worry about his enemy. Because the tower began to shake tremendously.

The tower was in shambles because of the damage it had taken during the fight, and Naruto didn't need Erza to tell him what was going to happen next.

The Tower of Heaven was going to explode.

So, doing what he did best, Naruto sprang into action. He dashed over to Erza and picked her up bridal-style, causing the girl to yelp in surprise.

Erza was about to ask what he was doing when the world around her changed and they were suddenly hundreds of feet above the rumbling tower. Her eyes shot wide open and her grip on the boy tightened when he let go and brought his hands up.

Erza looked up at the whiskered teen with a confused, and frightened expression. Because not only were they several hundred feet above a raging ocean, but there was also a tower made of Etherion that was about to explode right below them. But when she looked at his face, and brown eyes met blue, she suddenly felt at ease. Because in the time Erza had come to know Naruto, she knew what that grin meant.

Naruto had a plan.

" **Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

And just like that, over a thousand copies of Naruto, all armed with big-ball Rasengans, lit the sky around them.

As the clones began to fall towards the tower, Erza felt herself smiling. It was at that moment Erza felt that she could truly trust Naruto with not only her life, but with the lives of their comrades. Even as the tower detonated, and the world around her began to fade, she could see it in his eyes.

They were truly precious to him.

* * *

Erza fluttered her eyes open. "...What?"

"So, you're finally awake?"

"…!"

As her vision cleared, Erza noticed Naruto was still carrying her, and that they were on the beach.

"Naruto… How?" Was all she could say.

Naruto just grinned his foxlike grin. "I told you I'd help you, so I did!"

Erza's eyes widened, remembering everything he had said back then. She then turned away and began to chuckle.

"W-what? What's so funny?" Naruto fumed.

Erza shook her head at the childish answer before she gave him a genuine smile, and for the first time in years, tears fell from both of her eyes. "Thank you… Naruto."

"W-well it's only natural to help your friends out when they're in trouble, ya know…" Naruto said rather sheepishly, flustered by the beautiful girl's smile. Her TRUE smile.

"Yes. I understand that now…" Erza said and closed her eyes.

While Erza wasn't looking, Naruto frowned. 'There wasn't any orange pigment around my eyes when I was in sage mode earlier… That's not a good sign.' Naruto decided that he'd summon Fukasaku when they got back to Fairy Tail. Hopefully the old toad sage would be able figure out what was going on.

'Thank you… Everyone.' Erza thought as she wiped the tears from both of her eyes. She would never forget what Naruto and the others had done for her, and never again would she think dying was the only option. From now on she would do everything in her power to live. Not just for her own sake, but for the sake of her comrades.

"Erza!"

"Naruto-Sama!"

Naruto, still carrying Erza, turned them towards the people who were running towards them. Their friends. "Hey guys, what's up?"

* * *

"Kitty man!"

"Ack! Get off me you crazy cat lady!"

Everyone was now relaxing and enjoying a party together, and because Naruto had whisker-like birthmarks, Milliana was all over him.

"Kitty, kitty, kitty!"

"...Someone... Help me...!" Naruto croaked as the cat girl hugged him to death.

Erza sighed happily. "Milliana, why don't you go see if Happy wants to play?"

"Happy-Chan? Okay!" Dropping Naruto like a rag doll, the cat girl ran off to find the already hiding blue cat.

Lucy crouched down next to Naruto. "Are you okay?"

"That girl... is crazy..." Naruto mumbled.

Natsu laughed at the whiskered teen. "Hah! You look like you just got off a train!"

Lucy sweatdropped. 'That only applies to you...'

Naruto got up and looked around the room. "Hey, where did Juvia go? She was just here, wasn't she?"

"You would like to know, wouldn't you?" Lucy huffed and stormed off.

"...Eh?" Did he say something wrong?

Gray sighed and pat the confused boy on the back sympathetically. "I almost feel sorry for you man."

"I'm seriously gonna kick your ass Gray!" Naruto barked and everyone laughed.

* * *

 **Mongolia Town**

"Whoa!"

"They finished it while we were gone!"

Everyone stared at the new guild building in awe. It looked just like a castle.

Max waved at them from inside a little shop. "Hey guys! Welcome back!"

Naruto walked over to him and looked around. "What is this? A shop?"

"Yeah, it's a souvenir shop! Check it out." Fishing for something in the back, Max handed him something.

"Is this... Me!?" Naruto was now holding a mini Naruto figure. It looked just like him, down to the last detail.

"I don't know what to think of this…" Gray said when Max handed him two figures of himself, one with and without a shirt.

"I think they're charming." Erza said as she looked at a collection of Erza figures, one for each suit of armor she had.

"Hey, there's one for Lucy too!" Happy called out.

Lucy snatched the toy from Happy. "Don't go making things like this without permission... It's embarrassing..."

Naruto laughed. "I don't see why not; these things are awesome!" He poked the Lucy figure in the face and all the clothes popped off, minus the underwear.

The ninja held his nose as Lucy turned scarlet and scrambled to put the clothes back on.

Cana, who was standing by the entrance to the building, noticed them and waved. "Hey guys! Welcome back! You've gotta come inside!"

They followed her inside the guild. The bar was a lot bigger than before, with waitresses walking around in flashy Fairy Tail style outfits.

Laughing at their surprised faces, Cana pointed to the back. "That's not all, follow me."

Walking to the back of the bar, they went through the doors to find an indoor pool.

"No way! A pool!?"

Cana continued to show them around the interior until finally making it back to the bar.

"The new guild looks amazing!" Naruto said when someone suddenly jumped onto his back.

"Naruto-Sama!"

"Juvia!?"

Hearing a cough, everyone turned around and looked down to see Makarov. "Welcome back you guys. I'd like you to meet our newest member, Juvia. Though it seems you already know her..."

Getting off Naruto's back, Juvia stood in front of the group and bowed. "Thank you all! Juvia will work hard!" She chirped before staring at Lucy. "Rival in love..."

"I-I'm not..." Lucy mumbled.

Naruto grinned. "See? I told you the old man would let you join!"

Juvia stopped staring at Lucy and smiled at ninja brightly.

Coughing again to get their attention, the master pointed to one of the tables. "There is also another new member you should meet. Hey, come introduce yourself!"

"Oh, another new member?" Naruto asked before snarling at who it was.

Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer, got up from a table and turned around to look at them.

"What's he doing here!?" Naruto demanded, Gray and Erza holding him back from attacking.

Makarov sighed. "Calm down Naruto, he was only acting on Jose's orders. Besides, yesterday's enemies are tomorrow's allies."

Naruto settled down but continued to glare at the ex-Phantom mage. "I don't like this..."

Gajeel walked passed him. "I don't like it either, but work is work. Even if I have to be in a pathetic guild like this one."

Natsu got up in the guy's face. "What did you say about Fairy Tail? You wanna fight!?"

"You? Don't waste my time Salamander." Gajeel said with a grunt before looking at Naruto again. "I got bigger fish to fry." With that said, he walked away.

'What a jerk.' Naruto thought and looked at Makarov. "Are you sure about this? You know what he did."

Sighing again, Makarov nodded. "It's an old man's job to guide young men like that back onto the right path."

Naruto looked at Erza, and she nodded as well. Sighing in defeat, Naruto sat down at a table. "Fine, whatever."

Lucy sat next to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't let it worry you, the master knows what he's doing."

Suddenly, all the lights in the guild went black. "Why did it get so dark all of a sudden?"

Cana shushed him. "Shh, the main event is about to start."

Grumbling something about demanding women, Naruto noticed the curtains in the back of the bar open, revealing a stage. "Mira-Chan?"

Everyone in the guild started cheering.

"Mira-Chan!"

"This is what we've been waiting for!"

Mirajane was sitting in the spotlight, holding a guitar with a microphone standing in front of her face. Strumming it once, she began to play a tune and started singing.

Naruto stared at the girl with wide eyes. "Whoa... Was she always this good at singing?"

Elfman leaned over. "Nee-Chan's songs are the best!"

They listened to her sing for a little longer until they heard a crash. "Oof! What's the big idea!?"

Natsu was on the floor next to the table Gajeel was sitting at. "Huh? What do you want?"

"You tripped me on purpose!" The fire dragon slayer fumed.

They butted heads and growled at each other until people started throwing their mugs at them.

"Shut up!"

"We want to listen to Mira-Chan!"

Natsu flipped a table over. "Who's the wise guy who threw that!?"

As is a switch had been flipped, everything was thrown into chaos and the bar became a battlefield.

Naruto and Lucy ducked behind a table.

"How did it turn out like this!?" Lucy whined while covering her head.

Her fellow blonde just laughed. "This just means things are normal, right?" He said and jumped out to join the fray.

Mirajane was now playing rock music to pump things up while Makarov was crying over the destruction of his new guild.

Watching her partner throw some people around the bar, Lucy couldn't help but smile. "Yup, this is Fairy Tail…"

* * *

 **A/N: So, that wraps up the Tower of Heaven arc. Looks like Naruto is in for some drama in the near future. XD**

 **With this chapter out, the story has just reached 30,000 words! A new milestone has been reached!**

 **Next chapter, Naruto will finally reveal to everyone about where he came from and what he carries. Tell what you thought of this chapter. Did I do good? Bad? I wanna know!**

 **Something is wrong with Sage Mode! I wonder what will happen when Naruto summons Fukasaku.**

 **Okay, I'm done now. I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S. To those who have read the previous version of this chapter, what do you think of the massive changes?**


	9. Sage Mode and A Healthy Competition

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 2/20/2017**

* * *

Naruto yawned as he stepped out of the bathroom. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed something odd about his roommate. "Hey Lucy, what's with the flashy clothes?"

Lucy was doing varies poses in front of a mirror. "Didn't you hear? Someone from the Weekly Sorcerer Magazine is coming to Fairy Tail today!" She turned to him and winked. "I know, I am just too cute today."

Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? It's just a magazine right, and didn't you already pose as a model for them?"

Lucy gave him a flat look. "Yeah, and I remember you and the others destroying the shooting site."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah... Sorry about that."

"Shall we head to the guild then?"

"Nah, I'm going out to train." Seeing her pout, Naruto continued. "Don't worry, I'll go there after I finish up."

Naruto grabbed his headband and tied it to his forehead. "Tell everyone at the guild I said hi." With that, he waved goodbye and jumped out the window.

"Use the door like a normal person!" Lucy yelled and huffed when he waved back at her. "Honestly… Boys and their training…"

* * *

After finding a suitable field to train, Naruto bit his thumb and did some hand signs before slapping his hand onto the ground. **"Kuchiose no Jutsu!"**

In a burst of smoke, Fukasaku appeared in front of him. "Naruto boy! What can I do for ya?"

"Hey Pa, I'm having a little trouble with Sage mode."

Fukasaku gave him a blank stare. "Ya didn't forget how to do it, did ya?"

"I'm not that stupid!" Naruto shouted, earning a laugh from the old toad.

"I was only teasing boy! Now, tell me what's wrong."

* * *

"...I see. So this world not only has natural energy, but this magic as well?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's what everyone uses here instead of chakra."

Fukasaku processed the information in his head before speaking. "Call it a hunch, but I think I might know what the problem is. Here, let me try first." He hopped over to a large boulder and drew in some natural energy. The toad then proceeded to grasp the boulder and began to lift it up. "Guh... I can see... what ya mean...!" He dropped the boulder back down and caught his breath.

"So, what's wrong?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I think this magic ya mentioned is interfering, so ya can't use Sage Mode to its full potential."

"Ehh!? How!?" The blonde yelled, causing the toad to cover his ears.

"Calm down and let me finish explaining! Now, remember how I told ya that in order to use Sage Techniques, ya have to have a perfect balance between spiritual, physical, and natural energies yes?" Seeing the young ninja nod he continued. "Well, here in this world, yer also absorbing magic as well as natural energy and it's messin things up. So in order to bring out the best in Sage Mode here, yer gonna have to master mixing magic into the blend. Yer lucky ya didn't turn into a toad statue because of this."

Seeing Naruto's questioning look, the old toad sighed. "To put it simply, now that ya have an extra flavor, and ya need to blend yer ice-cream more..."

Realization dawned on Naruto's face. "Oh! I get it now!"

'This kid...'

Now knowing what he had to do, Naruto sat down and looked at Fukasaku. "So how do I learn to mix magic with the other energies?"

The blonde frowned when his teacher shook his head. "I'm not from this world, so I'm afraid I can't help ya there. Yer gonna have to figure that out on yer own. Maybe try askin some of yer friends fer help."

Jumping back up on his feet, Naruto thanked Fukasaku and ran off. 'Good luck, child of prophecy.'

* * *

 **At Fairy Tail**

"COOOOLLL!"

Naruto cringed. 'Aw crap, this guy again!?'

Jason ran up to Naruto in a flash. "Naruto Uzumaki from Fairy Tail, we meet again! Mind if I ask you some questions?"

The blonde began to sweat. "Uh… no, I-"

"What are some names you go by, other than your actual name of course!"

Naruto sighed and thought about it for a second. "Well my friends back home used to call me unpredictable, or a one man army..."

"COOL! One man army, is this because of your rumored cloning magic? How many clones can you spawn at a time?"

"Um, I don't really know for sure but... easily over a thousand-"

"COOL! COOL! COOL!"

Backing up from the overly excited man, the ninja looked around. "You know... I gotta go look for my friend Lucy..."

The reporter stopped at the unfamiliar name. "Lucy?"

"Naruto?" Lucy noticed her partner and walked over to him. "You're back earlier than I thought you'd be. How was your-wah!" She didn't get to finish her sentence because Naruto snatched her up, bridal style, and made a mad dash for the exit.

"Hey Lucy, I need your help with something!" He said as she was scrambling in his arms.

"Okay, okay I get it! Just put me down!" The embarrassed teen pleaded.

Jason watched the scene with a gleam in his eye. "Is there an upcoming couple in the makes? COOL!"

* * *

Now in the training field, Lucy put her hands on her hips. "So? What did you need me for so badly that you had to carry me all the way here?" She shivered. "And who travels like that? Jumping from building to building, that was scary!"

"Hehe, sorry about that. So, you remember my ability Sage Mode right?" Naruto asked.

Lucy nodded. "That's when your eyes turn frog-like and you get stronger right?"

"A toad, but yeah. What I'm actually doing is taking in the natural energy around me and combine it with my chakra."

Lucy beamed. She always loved learning about stuff from Naruto's world. "That's so cool! You literally become one with nature. But what do you need me for?"

Naruto put up a hand. "Hold on, I'm getting to that. When I enter Sage Mode, I get stronger, faster, and things don't hurt me as much. There are other things too but I can't really explain it all too well."

Lucy looked to be in thought. "So, you absorb the natural energies from around you and turn it into power, so that must mean you're also absorbing magic too." Seeing Naruto's surprised face, she laughed. "What? Did I say something funny?"

Naruto shook his head. "How did you know I was absorbing magic?"

The Celestial Spirit mage puffed out her chest with pride. "It just so happens that I know a lot about magic. I used to read books about it all the time as a kid. The magic in the air is actually called Ethernano and is all around us because it's a part of nature. I thought that since you were absorbing natural energies, you must have been absorbing magic as well. We mages do something similar to your Sage Mode, except the Ethernano is drawn into us naturally when our magic power is low."

Naruto was completely baffled. "Wow, I didn't know you were so smart."

Lucy fumed. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

Laughing at her irked state, Naruto apologized and continued. "But yeah, I'm absorbing magic too and since I don't know how to tell the difference between the energies, it's messing with my Sage Mode and making it weaker." He also almost turned into a toad, but Lucy didn't need to know that yet.

Lucy tried to think of a solution. "Hmm, have you even tried feeling the difference between the two while in that form?"

Naruto raised a finger as if to answer, but dropped it and shook his head.

Lucy rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Okay then, let's start with that."

They both sat down on the grass, Naruto going into his sage position and entering Sage Mode in a matter of seconds. "Man, I can never get over how fast I can get into Sage Mode here."

Lucy smacked her partner on the head. "Focus. Now, can you tell the difference between the two?"

Rubbing his head in annoyance, Naruto closed his eyes and focused. She was right, it would suck if he lossed focus and turned into a toad all of a sudden.

Naruto could feel the grass swaying with the light breeze, the leaves on the trees, and even some wildlife not too far from here. All of the natural energy in this world truly amazed him. If he were to compare this place with the Elemental Nations, it would be like comparing a lake to an ocean!

Wait, maybe it wasn't all just natural energy. Lucy did say that magic-er- Ethernano was all around them.

He tried feeling out the energy to find any differences. '...There!'

Lucy watched him patiently as she waited for a response, but then noticed something in the corner of her eye.

Looking to see what it was she raised an eyebrow when she saw Naruto's guild mark glowing.

* * *

"I think I'm starting to feel the difference between them!"

Naruto opened his eyes to find himself in his mindscape. "Eh? When did I get here?" He turned around to find two giant red orbs staring down at him accusingly.

" **Why must you contaminate my prison with all these... filthy energies..."** The fox spat.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

The Kyuubi rolled it's massive eyes. **"Just look around you, fool."**

Frowning at the disrespect, Naruto looked around the sewer and was surprised at what he saw. "So this is what this place looks like when I'm in Sage Mode..."

He didn't notice it before, but the room was now well light. It almost felt peaceful, minus the creepy sewer setting and the giant angry demon trapped behind bars of course.

" **I hate the feeling of this energy, even more so than your sage chakra..."** The demon grumbled.

Naruto looked up at his prisoner. "You mean magic? Do you know how I can use it?" Maybe the fox could help him learn how to control it.

" **...And why should I help you? What's in it for me?"**

The jinchuuriki smirked. "Because you have nothing better to do?"

Grunting at it's host, the demon fox yawned and turned it's massive head to the other side of the cage. **"Very well. Have you tried focusing the magic to that little guild stamp of yours? If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not, magic was used to put that onto you in the first place. Was it not?"**

'My guild mark?' Naruto looked at the stamp on his hand and was surprised to see it glowing.

" **There, now be gone. Your obnoxious self has drained me. Without my influence, you really would have turned into a statue, be grateful human."**

Naruto's eyes widened at the fox's help. "You know, you're not so bad once you get past all those angry words of yours and stuff." He joked and the Kyuubi growled.

" **Do not mistake my help as kindness. Make no mistake, I will escape this prison and destroy all that you hold dear..."**

The teen just waved off the death threats. "Yeah, yeah. I'll talk to ya later. Thanks for the help again."

With that, he disappeared from sight.

The Kyuubi just stared at where Naruto was just at for a few seconds before chuckling to himself. **'This brat...'**

* * *

Opening his eyes and looking around, Naruto found Lucy starring at him worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Finally! I've been trying to get your attention but it was like you couldn't hear me! Are you okay?" Lucy asked in concern.

Naruto laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry about that. But good news! I think I found a way to use magic!"

She tilted her head. "Really? How?"

The hyperactive blonde grinned and pointed to his hand. Lucy looked at it and realized what he was thinking. "Your guild mark? It was glowing earlier now that I think about it..."

Nodding his head, Naruto bit his thumb and did a few hand seals. **"Kuchiose no Jutsu!"**

In a puff of smoke, Fukasaku reappeared. "Naruto boy, that was quick. I take it ya already found out what ya needed to do?"

Nodding eagerly, Naruto gestured to his friend. "You bet! This is Lucy by the way."

"Nice to meet you." Lucy said with a short bow. She knew exactly who this toad was, having hear a couple stories about him from Naruto. Fukasaku, the old toad sage who taught Naruto sage mode along with the fight style that went along with it.

Returning the bow, Fukasaku gave her a troubled look. "I apologize fer any trouble he's caused ya."

Lucy shook her head frantically. "No, not at all!"

"Hey! Can we get back to my training please!?" Naruto interrupted impatiently.

Fukasaku chuckled and summoned his whacking stick. "Right. Shall we get started?"

* * *

It was beginning to get late, so the two were walking back home for the day.

"Ugg..." Naruto groaned.

Lucy looked at her fellow blonde in concern. "Are you okay? I know you're a fast healer but... you look pretty bad."

Naruto was covered in bruises, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He had almost turned into statue fifteen times! "Yeah, I'm just glad I'm making progress. Though I don't know why I'm starting to turn into a toad now." The fox was probably behind this, and he could almost hear him snickering. 'Stupid fur-ball...'

"Is that what that stick Fukasaku-San was using for?" Lucy asked.

Nodding, the ninja walked up to the apartment building and opened the door for Lucy. "If I don't control the natural energy correctly, I'll turn into a toad statue."

Lucy walked in and raised an eyebrow at the strange information. "That sounds pretty risky."

Naruto shrugged. "Meh, once I master it again though it'll be worth it! I wonder if I'll be stronger now that I'll be using magic too?" It only made sense to him that if he was adding a fourth energy to the mix, he'd be stronger.

Now walking into their apartment, Lucy couldn't help but wonder just how powerful the complete Sage Mode was. Naruto had already proven to be one of the strongest people she knew without it, and it boggled her when she imagined how strong he might become in the future.

"Hey Naruto, hey Lucy." Natsu and Happy greeted when they opened the door. They were both resting on Lucy's bed.

"Yo." Naruto said casually and hopped onto the couch, ready to fall asleep right then and there.

Lucy had a completely different reaction. "What are you doing here!?"

Both Naruto and Natsu groaned. "Ugh, keep it down."

"Yeah, what are you yelling for anyway?"

The only female in the room threw her hands up in defeat. "I give up! Do what you want." With that, she walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

* * *

 **A Couple Days Later...**

SMACK!

"Ouch!" Naruto screamed in pain.

Fukasaku sighed. "Yer gettin better at mixing them, but ya still have a ways to go before it's perfect."

Naruto was still training with Fukasaku to remaster Sage Mode. He was starting to get the hang of it and was almost balancing the four energies completely. But he was still beginning to turn into a statue after a couple of minutes.

Lucy walked up to the two with a box in her hands. "How about we take a break and eat lunch."

The duo nodded and they sat down to eat.

"Man, I almost had it that time! Mixing four different types of energy sure is tough." The blonde ninja said between bites.

"It's pretty amazing how fast you're learning." Lucy commented. It had only been a couple of days, and Naruto was almost able to

Natsu snorted. "I could probably learn how to do it my first try!"

They all looked at the dragon slayer, who was casually munching on one of the sandwiches Lucy had brought.

He swallowed and stared back at them. "...What?"

"What the heck are you doing here!?"

Natsu picked at his ear from being yelled at. "I was bored, Happy said he had some stuff to do today so I came here looking for you guys. What are you doing all the way out here anyways?"

"Because I'm getting tons stronger by remastering my sage mode, that's why." Naruto boasted.

Natsu sent him a challenging stare. "Oh yeah? Wanna fight and test it out?"

Naruto returned the look. "I'm ready when you are."

Lucy chopped Naruto on the head. "You're not fighting with the way you are now. You're all bruised up and have been training since this morning!" She scolded, causing both teens to flinch.

Fukasaku sweatdropped. 'It seems women in this world are just as scary...'

Sulking from being scolded, Naruto looked over to Natsu. "What's everyone been up to lately?"

Natsu shrugged. "Everyone's been doing a bunch of jobs so the guild's empty, except for that Juvia person. She's been hanging around Mira a lot lately."

This caught Lucy's interest. 'What's she doing with Mira-San?'

* * *

 **At The Guild…**

"Thanks again for teaching Juvia how to make ramen, Mira-San!" Juvia chirped happily as she cooked.

Mirajane giggled. "Don't worry about it, you're learning this for Naruto's sake, right?" She teased causing the water mage to blush. "Oh, you're just too cute! Here, now we have to cut up the vegetables."

As Juvia did as she was instructed, Mirajane giggled to herself. 'Sorry Lucy, but I don't see the harm in a healthy competition. Fu fu fu...'

* * *

Lucy looked at the job request board in search for a suitable job for her. "Ugh... If I don't do a job soon I'll have to ask Naruto to pay for my half again. Hey Nab, help me out." She pleaded to the person who was almost always standing here.

The man looked at her and shook his head. "No can do, I'm looking for a solo job myself." He explained, causing Lucy to sweatdrop.

'Seriously...?'

"Where's Naruto? Don't you two usually go on missions together?" Nab asked before he gained a sly grin. "Oh wait, don't tell me. You two are having a love quarrel?"

Lucy blushed. "W-what!? No! Naruto's completely absorbed into his training right now!" She said then stomped away. "And we're just partners! Partners!"

Walking over to the bar, the Celestial Spirit mage sat down and rested her head on her arms. "Why is everyone so mean..."

"Why so down Lucy? Did you and Naruto get into a fight?"

Lucy groaned and rested her head back down on the bar. "Not you too Mira-San."

Mirajane giggled. "I'm only teasing, so what's the matter?"

"I want to go on a mission to pay for my half of the rent, but Naruto is still training and everyone else is already doing one." She explained, pointing at the empty guild hall to prove her point.

The barmaid pointed at Natsu and Happy who were sleeping on one of the tables. "Have you tried asking Natsu and Happy?"

The blonde didn't even look up. "Yeah, but Natsu's waiting for Naruto to finish training so they can fight."

"Hm..." Mirajane tapped her chin in thought when an idea came to her. "Why don't you ask Juvia if she wants to go with you?"

Lucy shot straight up, startling the silver haired beauty. "She's not on a mission? Where is she now?"

Recovering from the minor shock, Mirajane pointed towards the door. "I think she said something about going to see Naruto."

Getting up from her seat, Lucy dashed towards the door in a flash. "Thanks Mira-San!"

Mirajane smiled and waved, internally giggling to herself. 'I wonder what will happen? Oh, I'm so bad.'

* * *

Lucy made her way back to the training field in hopes to find her water wielding friend. 'I can't keep asking Naruto for help, I can get the rent money by myself! ...With a little help from someone other than Naruto of course.'

As she got closer to her destination, Naruto and Juvia came into view. "What the..." The two were sitting on a checkered mat in the middle of the field having a picnic.

Lucy quickly hid behind a tree. 'Wait, why am I hiding?'

"Hey Juvia, thanks for bringing me lunch. This ramen is delicious!" Naruto said happily as he wolfed down the noodles.

"Oh, it was nothing really!" Juvia looked away and blushed. 'Naruto-Sama is enjoying Juvia's food! It's almost like we're on a d-d-date!' Her wild imagination was cut short and she turned serious. "Naruto-Sama, we're being watched."

"Oom-foom…" Naruto agreed with his mouth full.

Lucy panicked. 'Crap! They noticed me!?'

THUNK!

"Eek!" She yelped as a shuriken embedded itself in the tree in front of her.

"Come on out! We know you're there!" The ninja declared after swallowing his food.

Juvia almost squealed. "Naruto-Sama is so cool!"

"Wait! It's just me!" Lucy yelled and jumped out with her hands in the air.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Lucy? What are you doing sneaking around like that for?"

Lucy pointed an accusing finger at him. "What about you! Throwing sharp pointy objects at a harmless maiden!"

He sent her a deadpanned expression. "I'm a ninja, we throw sharp pointy objects for a living..."

Lucy face faulted.

Naruto walked over to the tree and pulled the shuriken from its bark. "So? What's up?"

Shaking her head, Lucy turned over to Juvia who was still fawning over Naruto's last statement. "Actually, I'm here to talk to Juvia."

At hearing her name, Juvia stopped fawning over Naruto and turned serious again. "Is this a declaration of war? A love war!?" Water began to spin around her form.

Lucy shook her hands. "No! I just wanted to ask you something!"

The water disappeared and Juvia nodded.

Seeing as this had nothing to do with him(not really), Naruto started walking away. "Well I'm going back to my training, thanks again for the ramen Juvia!"

The water mage waved at him cheerfully and then walked over to her rival in love. "So? What do you need from Juvia?"

Lucy sighed. "Long story short, I need money for rent and I wanted to ask if you could help me with a job."

Juvia stared at her for a moment, her face staying neutral. "What is in it for Juvia?"

Lucy had to take a moment to think. What would a powerful mage like Juvia want? Surely she didn't have a money problem, then what?

Smiling sweetly as an idea formed, Lucy spoke. "If you help me, I'll let you cook lunch for Naruto when he's training. No complaints."

Juvia's eyes widened at the thought, knowing full-well how much Naruto trained. "Juvia agrees to these terms."

"Sweet!" Lucy chirped and cheered internally. 'Yes! This saves me a ton on our food budget as well!'

* * *

"So what mission shall we be taking?"

Lucy looked at the request board again. "Um, how about this one?" Taking the paper off of the wall, she handed it to Juvia.

Taking it in hand, the blue haired mage read the job description aloud.

 _Help Wanted_

 _Please Help Build A Moat Around Property. Water Mage Not Required But Preferred._

 _Reward: 150,000 Jewels_

Juvia nodded in approval. "Yes, this rather suits Juvia."

Lucy pulled out Virgo's key. "And with Virgo's help, this should be no problem at all!"

* * *

The location of the client wasn't all that far from Magnolia Town, only a couple hours by train. The client lived in a small town in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.

The two mages walked up to the house with the address that was in the job description.

Lucy knocked on the door. "Hello? We're mages from Fairy Tail. We came for the job about the moat."

The they heard a series of footsteps before the door finally opened, revealing an old man. He was short, not as short as Makarov, but short nonetheless. He was wearing blue overalls with a red stripped undershirt. "Eh? You the mages I sent for?"

They nodded but cringed when he yelled all of a sudden. "Then what are you waiting for!? Build my moat!"

Lucy sweatdropped. 'Oh boy...'

"Sir, if Juvia may ask, why is it you want a moat around your house?" Juvia asked.

The old man looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Because I need to protect this here establishment from my brother!" He pointed behind them and they turned around to find another house with a similar looking old man sitting in the front. "What'd you say Abraham!?"

The now named Abraham pulled out a rifle. "I ain't said nothin Ethan ya crazy nut!"

Ethan pulled out a rifle of his own. "Don't make me shoot! I'll do it!"

Lucy and Juvia, being in the middle of the arguing brothers, had long since ducked for cover behind a couple of barrels. "Hey, Juvia?" The blonde asked, getting the water woman's attention.

"Yes?"

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

"Yes, Juvia believes so..."

* * *

"Phew!" Lucy wiped the sweat off her forehead. After the sibling's argument, they had begun working on the moat and were just finishing things up. "Thanks Virgo, we couldn't have done it without you."

The maid bowed. "Of course, princess. Is it punishment time now?"

"I was thanking you!"

"Then I'll take my leave." With that, she disappeared.

Juvia turned to her rival. "Juvia wonders, why is it that the brothers hate each other so?"

Lucy had been wondering same thing, but she was just too scared to ask.

"Hey, mages." The girls turned to see the client's brother gesturing them to go over to him.

Walking over to the strange old man, they saw that he was holding a package. "What's the package for?"

His response surprised them. "I'll pay you double to build me a moat like my brother's. I can't let him one up me like that!"

Lucy looked at the package and saw dollar signs. "Double!?" She asked happily but stopped when Juvia put an arm in front of her. "Juvia?"

"I'm sorry sir, but if you want help from Fairy Tail, then you'll have to submit your request through our system."

Ethan sucked his teeth. "Tch! Stingy women... Fine! I'll pay triple! Take it or leave it!"

Lucy looked at Juvia with pleading eyes, but the water mage didn't budge. "Good day, sir." She said and walked away with Lucy in tow.

Lucy was crying anime tears. "He was offering triple too..."

"Hey! Are you done with my moat yet!?" They both stiffened at the loud voice of their client.

"Y-yes sir!"

Abraham examined the moat before nodding approvingly. "Okay, looks good enough to me! Now git!" He yelled and disappeared into his home.

"Mission accomplished." Juvia said and turned to leave.

"Wait a second! He didn't pay us!" Lucy stormed across the bridge they built and knocked on the door.

Upon opening it, the old man looked up at the angry teen. "What do you want? I thought I told you to leave me in peace!"

Lucy put a hand out expectantly and tapped her foot. "We built you your moat, where's our reward?"

"...I ain't got any money..." He mumbled and shut the door on her face.

Lucy just stared at the door in disbelief. "Eh!?"

"Ptts!"

The girls turned around to find the brother once again. Lucy walked over to the other old man. "What do you want this time?"

Ethan looked around suspiciously before whispering. "I heard my stupid brother didn't pay you... Well I'll cut you a deal. You build me a moat, I'll pay you for both jobs."

Lucy looked over to Juvia, who just stared at her blankly. They didn't get paid for their other job, so they might as well take the other brother's offer. Juvia didn't seem to mind this time, so Lucy nodded. "Okay, we're in."

* * *

Lucy and Juvia were now riding on the train back to Magnolia Town.

"I'm so tired..." The blonde complained.

Juvia shrugged. "At least we were paid."

Pulling out the package they were given, Lucy nodded. "That's true, I guess it was all worth it in the end." She opened the package and looked at its contents.

"..."

Inside the package, were a bunch of crumpled pictures of the brothers laughing and sharing drinks together, as well as a note that said "Fools!" written on it.

Lucy threw the photos on the ground. "We've been had! It was just a prank and they were in on it together!" She fumed and looked at Juvia, who seemed to be daydreaming. "Why aren't you upset about this!? We did all that work for nothing!" Lucy yelled, but none of her words reached.

 **In Juvia's Mind**

"Naruto-Sama! Juvia brought lunch!" Juvia was skipping across a field holding a box of food.

A shirtless Naruto stopped training and looked over at her with a toothy grin. "Oh! Thanks Juvia!"

While they were eating, Naruto suddenly embraced her.

"Naruto-Sama!?"

His cerulean eyes bore deep into her own. "Juvia... I want to eat your food every day for the rest of my life..." He whispered as he leaned in closer.

Juvia slowly closed her eyes. 'Naruto-Sama...'

 **Back To Reality**

"...Juvia?" When Lucy got no response from the blushing water mage, she sat down in defeat. "I give up, I'm too tired to care anymore..."

* * *

 **A/N: That was kinda funny huh? I hope that clears any questions on why Naruto was "weak" during the Tower of Heaven arc.**

 **What is going to happen when the Harvest Festival starts? Will Naruto remaster Sage Mode in time? When/If he does, should it look different? I was debating with myself if it should look the same now that magic was being mixed in. Let me know your thoughts!**

 **So, what did you think? Did I do good? Bad? Review and let me know!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	10. Festival Gone Sour

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 2/20/2017**

* * *

Fukasaku sat still as he watched his subordinate focus, a smile slowly raising on his face. "I think ya finally got it… How does it feel to have remastered Sage Mode?"

Naruto smiled, his eyes still closed. "Feels great."

The toad noticed the color around Naruto's eyes was now a brighter tinge of orange than usual. 'That's odd...'

When the ninja opened his eyes, he raised an eyebrow when the old sage gasped. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Y-yer eyes..." Fukasaku stammered.

"My eyes...?" The blonde repeated.

Fukasaku blinked a few times. Naruto's eyes were colored dark red with a golden aura outlining the irises. What shocked him the most was the vertical slits over his toad-like pupils, making a cross. "Yer eyes are different than before..." He stroked his beard a few times in thought. "Maybe because of the magic?"

Naruto grew excited. "Really!? What do they look like? Are they cool!?"

Chuckling at the blonde's childish behavior, Fukasaku pulled out a scroll. "Ya can look in a mirror later, here."

Releasing the natural energy and changing back to normal, Naruto took the scroll. "What's this?"

"We made ya a new sage cloak to replace the one ya lost during yer fight with Pain."

Quickly opening the scroll and channeling some chakra into it, a familiar red cloak appeared in a puff of smoke. "Sweet, thanks!"

Fukasaku watched with pride as Naruto put the cloak on over his normal attire. "What will ya do now that ya remastered Sage Mode?"

After looking at his new cloak with a fond smile, Naruto rubbed his chin and thought about it. "I don't really know. I suppose I should start finding a way back to Konoha. This place is great and, I've made a lot of friends here..." He said before frowning. "But I can't help but feel a little homesick."

Fukasaku nodded understandingly. "Do what ya think is best fer yerself. The toads will always be just a summon away."

Naruto grinned. "Of course!"

"Naruto! Fight me!" Natsu yelled as he ran up to the two sages.

"Natsu?" A smirk made its way onto the shinobi's face. "Okay then, I wanted to test how powerful Sage Mode is now." He said and cracked his knuckles.

Raising a flaming fist, Natsu roared and charged straight at Naruto. He growled in anger when the blonde didn't so much as move and even closed his eyes. "What the?" Skidding to a stop, Natsu sniffed the air. "What's that smell? What are you doing?"

Naruto opened his eyes and Natsu gawked at his new features. "Whoa! That's so cool!"

The sage grinned. "What does it look lik-" He was cut off when Natsu closed the distance between them.

"You let your guard down! Take this! **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** " He yelled and rammed his fist into the blonde's stomach. He smirked when a gust of wind picked up from the impact, but it became a frown when he saw the blonde didn't seem to be phased by it. "Huh?"

Naruto raised a hand and flicked Natsu in the forehead.

 **Twack!**

"Ack!" Natsu yelped in pain as he was forced to the ground. Quickly jumping to his feet, the mage stomped a foot in frustration. "What was that!? I hit you as hard as I could!"

Fukasaku nodded in approval. "That's more than enough proof to say that ya did it right. With this, I can leave without worry."

Naruto waved goodbye. "See ya Pa, thanks again for the help."

The toad nodded again disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto then looked down at Natsu and grinned evilly, causing the boy to sweat. "Now then, it's my turn."

* * *

Lucy and Juvia were walking towards the guild from the train station when there was a sudden tremor.

 **BOOM!**

The girls, and everyone around them, looked around in confusion.

"What was that?"

"An earthquake?"

"Must have been the mages at Fairy Tail." Someone suggested.

At the mentioning of Fairy Tail, everyone went back to their own business.

The two girls looked at each other and nodded, both thinking the same thing.

'Naruto/Naruto-Sama!'

* * *

Natsu looked at the devastation around him in complete awe. Naruto had punched the ground next to him and everything around him was completely desecrated. They were standing in a crater that was easily bigger than the guild itself!

Naruto whistled at his work. Sage Mode was definitely back to normal! No, it was even better now! He felt like he could even take on Tsunade in terms of strength! "Good thing I didn't hit you, that would have sucked!"

Natsu jumped up on his feet. "Naruto, were you always this strong!?" He asked excitedly, his desire to fight Naruto for real only growing stronger.

"Of course!" The ninja said with a playful smirk, before he looked at the destruction around them and sweatdropped. "Though, not this powerful... I really need to learn how to control this soon..."

"Naruto!"

Lucy and Juvia ran up to them.

"What the happened here… and what's with your eyes!?"

Naruto struck his late master's sage pose. "Pretty cool huh? This is the power of Sage Mode!"

"Naruto-Sama is so cool!" Juvia squealed and danced around him.

Natsu looked at the ninja's new red attire, as if noticing it for the first time. "Hey, where'd you get that?"

"Oh this? Pa gave it to me right before you showed up." Naruto said and turned around to show off the "Sage" symbol on the back. "Pretty cool huh? This shows that I'm an official sage of Mount Myōboku." He noticed Lucy was staring at him. "...What?"

Lucy blinked and blushed, realizing she was staring. "N-no, it's nothing." Seeing the strange look from Naruto, the cold glare from Juvia, and the amused look from Natsu, she reddened even further. "Okay fine! I just thought you looked kinda cool wearing that..."

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Heh, you really think so?"

Juvia pouted and raised her hand, jealous that her rival managed to get such a reaction out of him. "Juvia thinks so too!"

Naruto put his arms behind his head and grinned. "Then I guess I should wear this more often if I you guys think so."

Unknowing to them, a man in a coat watched in the distance with a smirk on his face. "Naruto Uzumaki... You might actually be worth something after all."

* * *

Lucy walked out of the bathroom with her hair in a towel, having just finished taking a bath. "Ah, nothing beats a bath after a long day."

Naruto burst out laughing, gaining her attention. He was sitting on the couch in his pajamas reading a magazine.

Lucy blinked. For as long as she'd known the ninja, he just didn't seem to be the reading type. "Wow, you're actually reading. I'm surprised."

Naruto lowered the magazine just enough to show his eyes giving her dull look.

Sitting down on the couch next to her roommate, Lucy took a closer look at what he was reading. "Sorcerer Magazine? Let me see, am I in it!?" She asked excitedly and leaned over to get a better look, and into Naruto's personal bubble.

Naruto pushed her away. "Hey, you're too close!"

Lucy pushed on. "Come on, let me see!" Her hand slipped off the couch. "Wah!"

Lucy fell and grabbed onto Naruto in an attempt to catch herself, but only caused him to fall on top of her.

The door opened and Natsu with Happy on his shoulder walked in. "Hey guys what's-" They slapped their hands to their mouths when they saw Lucy laying on the ground, and Naruto on top of her.

The blondes both looked up and blushed furiously.

"...Sorry to have bothered you!"

"Aye!"

 **Slam!**

There was an awkward silence in the room, the only thing that could be heard was fading laughter.

Naruto jumped off of Lucy and spun around. "S-sorry!"

Lucy slowly got up. "I-it's fine..." She held a hand to her chest. 'Why is my heart beating so fast!?'

Naruto picked up the magazine sat back on the couch. "There was an article about me in here. They're calling me "Fairy Tail's One Man Army". Pretty weird huh? If you want to know what I was laughing at earlier, I was reading the article about Natsu, there's some pretty funny stuff in here."

Finally calming herself, Lucy got up and sat next to him again. "Really? Like what?"

Moving the magazine over to show her, Naruto pointed to the page he was referring to. "See? Natsu punched that Jason guy in the face! Isn't that hilarious?" He burst out laughing again, dropping the magazine onto the ground.

Picking it back up, Lucy flipped through the pages in hope of finding something about her. 'Come on! There should be at least one thing about me in here!' Finally finding something, she became petrified.

There was a picture of when Naruto had picked her up bridal style and ran out of the guild. Underneath it was a short paragraph titled: _"Fairy Tail's newest couple?"_

She gulped and began to read what it said, a growing blush making its way onto her face.

 _Hello viewers, Jason here again to spread the latest gossip regarding Fiore's greatest guild, Fairy Tail! As you can see in the picture above, that is Fairy Tail's Naruto Uzumaki affectionately carrying another member out of the guild. Could there be love in the air? Stay tuned as I find out more of the details!_

"Ehhhh!?" Lucy shrieked.

Naruto stopped laughing and wiped a stray tear out of his eye. "Huh? Did you find anything about yourself?"

Lucy hid the magazine behind her back. "Uh, nope! Nothing at all!" She laughed nervously as the ninja stared at her.

Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Is that so..."

Smiling weakly, Lucy nodded meekly.

To her relief, Naruto shrugged and began to stretch stretched. "If you say so. I think I'm gonna go to sleep, I'm starting to get tired."

Lucy stretched and yawned as well. "Yeah, me too. Goodnight." She said as she turned off the light.

"Goodnight."

…

Lucy's eyes shot open. 'How can I sleep after reading that!?'

* * *

 **The Next Day...**

Naruto yawned as he made his way towards the guild, occasionally waving to passing townsfolk. People were really starting to recognize him recently. "I never did finish that magazine, I guess Lucy really liked it."

"Naruto?"

Hearing his name, the blonde turned to find Mirajane and Makarov carrying grocery bags. "Oh, hey Mira-Chan, hey gramps."

Makarov faltered in his steps. "Why can't you all just call me by my title? Kids have no respect these days."

The teens laughed at the grumbling old man.

"What's up with the bags?" Naruto asked and made a gesture to what they were holding.

Mirajane smiled cheerfully. "These are supplies for the upcoming Harvest Festival next week."

Naruto tilted his head. "What's that?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh yeah, you're still pretty new to Magnolia around you? The Harvest Festival is an annual event here in Magnolia Town that is hosted by our guild. There is also the Miss Fairy Tail contest and to finish it off there's the Fantasia Parade."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Miss Fairy Tail?"

"It's a beauty contest among the females of Fairy Tail." The wizard saint explained with a sly expression.

"Master..." The Strauss sibling said sweetly.

Makarov coughed in his hand, avoiding any eye contact with the barmaid. "The winner gets 500,000 jewels."

"That's a lot of money!" Naruto said and rubbed his chin in thought. 'A beauty contest huh?'

When they reached the guild, Makarov handed Mirajane his bags. "Mira-Chan, could you put these away for me please? It seems my old age really is catching up to me..." He complained, rubbing his back to emphasize his statement.

She giggled. "No worries master, I'll take care of it."

"Thank you." He waited until she was out of hearing range before closing his eyes and speaking. "So, when are you going to tell everyone about your... complications?"

Naruto leaned against the door and crossed his arms. "I don't know... Maybe after the festival, just to be safe."

The old man opened an eye and looked up at the blonde and chuckled. "To be safe of what? After all you've been through with us, you still think they'd reject you?"

The teen frown but didn't say anything. He had been through a lot with these people. But deep down, he WAS still afraid of being rejected. How could he not? The first twelve years of his life was filled with loneliness, all because people were afraid of the demon sealed inside of him. Naruto had made so many new friends here at Fairy Tail, and he was afraid of losing them.

"...It must have been hard for you." Makarov suddenly said.

"Huh?"

The old man skipped over to the bar and hopped up onto the counter. "Mira-Chan, can I get a drink? I'm thirsty!" He whined childishly.

"Yes master!" She turned over to Naruto and smiled. "The usual?"

Naruto chuckled to himself before walking over to the bar. "You know it!"

* * *

"Welcome to the Miss Fairy Tail Contest!" Max spoke through a microphone to the huge crowd in front of him. "Now, for what all of you all been waiting for… Let the contest begin!"

The crown cheered.

Sand flew around the announcer. "I, Max Arose the sand mage, will be your host!"

Naruto was sitting with Gray, Natsu, and Happy in the reserved seats for the guild members. "That guy really likes to talk."

"Yeah, to think he'd want to stand in front of all these people willingly." Gray said before looking at Naruto slyly. "So, who are you going to vote for?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do mean? I thought everyone gets to vote? Why are you asking me? Besides, the contest hasn't even started yet."

Gray sent the blonde a flat look. "Dude, seriously?"

"What's the point of this contest? They're not even going to fight…" Natsu mumbled to himself. "A real Miss Fairy Tail contest should be a tournament, where the girls would duke it out to find out who the strongest is!"

"Wouldn't Erza win it every time then?" Gray asked and Natsu opened his mouth to argue with his rival, but closed it when he couldn't think of anything.

Erza was Erza.

Naruto laughed. "It's because men are perverts, and I have little reason to doubt they're all here to see the girls who will most likely be wearing revealing outfits."

"What are you talking about, there are girls in the crowd too…" Natsu said and looked back, only to sweatdrop when he saw that the crowd was in fact dominated by men who were shouting and screaming for the contest to start. In fact, he could hardly see any girls in the crowd. "Huh…"

Naruto nodded his head sagely. "See what I mean?"

"So he says, but he's just as clueless in another way." Happy said while shaking his head, and the three boys shared a laugh when Naruto bristled with anger.

Their attention was brought back to the stage when Max announced the first woman. "May I introduce you to our first contestant, miss Cana Alberona!" The crowd roared as the brunette walked onto the stage and posed.

She took out a deck of cards and they started to float around. Everyone watched as the cards covered her form. They then came off to reveal Cana now wearing a swimsuit.

Naruto nodded his head approvingly. "That was a nice use of her card magic."

"The second contestant! Miss Juvia Lockser!" Max announced as Juvia walked onto the stage.

"Watch me, Naruto-Sama!" She said as her body turned into water. The liquid went up to her neck and came back down to reveal her wearing a blue polka dotted swimsuit.

Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "The water goes well with your swimsuit, nice Juvia!" He said and the girl blushed, which caused some of the men in the crowd to glare at him with jealousy.

Gray sweatdropped at the ninja's commentary remarks. "What are you, an expert?"

"And now for our third contestant, the one and only, Mirajane!"

Elfman, who was sitting in the seat behind Naruto, nudged the blonde's seat. "Nee-Chan's got this in the bag!"

Mirajane waved to the crowd cheerfully as she made her way onto the stage. "Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be showing you my transformation magic! First I'll perform..." Her face transformed into a familiar cat. "The face of Happy!"

"Ehhhh!?"

Naruto and Happy both fell onto the floor laughing their heads off. "Oh man... That's great Mira-Chan!" Their sides began to hurt when she turned her face into Gajeel's.

"Nee-Chan..." Elfman mustered, mortified by his sister's unexpected performance.

Max quickly recovered and spoke. "Now, for our fourth contestant. Fairy Tail's strongest female mage, Erza Scarlet!"

The audience roared as Erza marched onto the stage.

"There she is!"

"It's Erza!"

After finishing his laughter, Naruto sat back onto his seat and raised an eyebrow. "Erza? I wonder what she's gonna do."

The red head smirked. "Now I'll show you..." Her body began to glow in a golden light, indicating her Requip magic. "... My Requip that I've been reserving for this." The light faded, revealing her now wearing a cute black skirt dress with a bow on her hair.

She hummed confidently. "I've won."

Naruto looked over the outfit with a thoughtful expression. "Huh, not bad."

The ice mage sent him a deadpanned look. "Seriously... what are you going on about?"

Max pulled out the next card with the name of the next contestant. "And now... Er..." He hesitated and glanced at Makarov, who gave him a short nod. "...I present to you... Naruto Uzumaki! Our fifth contestant!"

"Huh!?

"Isn't that a guy?"

Gray staggered in his seat and whirled his head to look at the blonde next to him. Naruto grinned at him and put up a peace sign before bursting into a cloud of smoke. He was then seen walking onto the stage next to Max.

Laughing internally at all the strange looks he was getting, the shinobi smirked and made a hand seal.

" **Henge!"**

A plume of smoke covered Naruto's form and dispersed to reveal a naked, busty woman with long blonde hair held in twin pig-tails. The only thing blocking their eyes from seeing her modesty was a slightly see-through trail of smoke twirling around her body.

The woman pursed her full lips seductively. "Vote. For. Me?"

The male members of the audience all flew back in a trail of blood, minus the surprised Happy and Natsu.

Turning back to normal, Naruto snickered. "Ha! Works every time!" He then walked to the back of the stage and passed a surprised Lucy. "Good luck out there."

"How? What? Eh!?" She sputtered.

Naruto just laughed and kept walking. Wiping a stray tear from his eye, he suddenly felt a sense of danger. Turning around, he found a woman with light brown hair in a green dress staring at him.

"That was quite a show you put on, Naruto Uzumaki I believe?" She asked as she walked towards him with swaying hips.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked defensively.

The woman put her hands up in mock defense. "Oh my, is that how people greet their comrades these days?"

Seeing the Fairy Tail mark on her chest, Naruto lowered his guard. "Sorry, I still don't know all the members yet. But you shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Something felt off about this woman, but he just could put his finger on it.

She giggled and continued her advance towards the blonde. "Coming from the ninja, my name is Evergreen." Stopping right in front of him she gave him a once over. "You know, you're not bad, for a kid."

Naruto fumed. "I'm not a kid! I'll have you know I just turned seventeen last week-" He was cut short when the lady took off her glasses, and the last thing he saw before blacking out was Evergreen's shining eyes.

* * *

Naruto awoke in a familiar sewer. "Huh?"

" **How pathetic... To fall for such a simple trap."** The Kyuubi stared down at his host and sent him a pitiful look. **"If it weren't for me, you would have died a long time ago."**

Naruto waved a lazy hand. "Nice to see you to, and in my defense, I wasn't expecting to be attacked by someone else in the guild." He crossed his arms. "So? Why'd you call me here? You've been awfully chatty since I came to this world, are you finally going to tell me something?"

The fox grunted. **"I'll talk when I want to talk, not that it would do you any good."**

A tick mark grew on the teen's forehead. "Fine then!" He turned to leave. "If you're not going to say anything, then there's a girl with glasses outside that needs to be questioned."

An unnoticed grin formed on the Kyuubi's mouth, though it quickly disappeared when he spoke. **"Use some of my chakra, just a small burst and that woman's spell should be broken."**

Now it was Naruto's turn to grunt. "Hmph, I could break out of it without your power." He turned around waved a hand. "Later, fur ball."

* * *

With a small burst of the nine-tailed fox's chakra, Naruto burst out of the stone covering his body.

"Where's that Evergreen lady!?" He yelled angrily. Looking around, he noticed the bar was mostly empty, except for Makarov and Natsu. The dragon slayer was trying to run out of the guild but seemed to be stopped by an invisible wall.

Makarov turned and saw that Naruto had broken out. "Naruto! Thank goodness, we might still have a chance!"

The ninja walked over to the old man. "Hey, what's going on here?"

The master gave him a brief explanation on what their current situation was. At the mentioning of the girls being petrified in stone the same way he was, Naruto whirled around and looked at the stage.

There, lined up one by one, were the other participants of the Miss Fairy Tail contest.

Naruto ran up to the statues. "What happened to them!?"

Makarov sighed. "The same thing that happened to you. Evergreen."

Naruto looked at the surprised expression on Lucy's face and frowned. "How do we get them out?"

Stroking his beard in thought, the wizard saint pointed out the door. "I suppose if you defeat her, the spell will be broken. How did you get out anyway?"

"Um... I used some of the fox's power." The whiskered teen answered nervously. "I don't think I'd be able to use it to get them out, at least without hurting them."

"I see..." Makarov said solemnly.

Hearing Natsu's rage-filled screams, Naruto pointed over at him. "Why can't he get out?"

Makarov shook his head. "Because of Freed's runes, people over the age of eighty can't leave the guild."

"Eh!?" Naruto looked at Natsu incredulously. "Natsu's over eighty years old!?"

Natsu spun his head. "Like hell I am! Stupid runes, let me out! I wanna fight too!"

Glancing at the frozen girls one last time, the shinobi turned to leave. "I'm heading out. First, I'll find Evergreen and make her undo her spell, then I'll take care of Laxus."

Makarov nodded thankfully. "The guild is in your hands, good luck."

"Right!" Naruto kicked off the ground and dashed through the entrance. Or at least that's what he planned to do but smacked his face into an invisible wall.

"...Eh?"

Natsu stared at him blankly. "Your over eight-"

"Of course not!" Naruto fumed.

Makarov stared at the two in disbelief. "Why can't you brats get out!?"

"We don't know!" They both yelled.

They all stopped yelling at each other when a chunk of metal flew over the bar. Gajeel got up from behind the counter, munching on a metal snack.

"Gajeel!"

The master gained a hopeful look. "Would you help us out?"

Gajeel stared at them for a couple seconds before jumping over the bar. "I wanted to fight that guy anyways."

The iron dragon slayer made his way to the door to leave, but was also stopped by the barrier, causing the others to face-fault.

Letters formed in the air in front of them, causing Makarov to gasp. "Only three members remain!?"

"Damn it! Why can't I get out!?" Naruto yelled and punched the invisible wall. "Wait, can't I just break this wall? If I hit it hard enough while in Sage Mode, then maybe it'll-"

"The power required to break quality runes is tremendous. Considering these are runes made by Fried, a mage who excels in rune magic, you would destroy the guild in the process." Makarov said and Naruto sucked his teeth.

Natsu growled and stormed towards the back of the bar. "I guess there's no other option than to revive Erza!"

"Wait! How do you plan to do that!?"

The fire wielder stopped and turned back. "If I burn it, the stone will come off, right?"

"No!"

Makarov watched in horror as Natsu and Naruto fought over the burning statue that was Erza. They both stopped when they dropped it and the face cracked a bit.

Natsu lost all the color in his face. "Ah! It cracked! I'm sorry Erza!"

Gajeel snickered. "Well that sucks."

"You fools!" The master yelled.

The statue cracked a little more and Naruto flinched. 'This can't be good...'

When they all thought Erza would shatter, the stone broke off her like a shell.

The red head looked around the room, then narrowed her gaze upon Natsu. "I feel hot, was that you Natsu?" The teen didn't have a chance to defend himself when she sent the dragon slayer flying.

Naruto sighed in relief as Natsu sailed above him. "Glad to see you're okay, Erza."

Makarov had a confused look, most likely trying to figure out how Erza broke free. "What happened?"

Erza brought a hand to her face. "Maybe because of my right eye..."

"Your eye? What's wrong with it?" Naruto asked.

"I lost my right eye during a battle at the tower of Heaven when I was little, this is an artificial." She explained.

"Oh." Naruto didn't want to ask anything more about her past, as it was a touchy subject. Though, he had to wonder. Since illusions didn't work on that eye, did that mean it would be immune to genjutsu?

"So, do you know what's going on?" Makarov asked.

Erza nodded. "Yes, I could hear everything." She then turned to Naruto. "I'm curious though... What was that fox you were talking about with the master earlier?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "It's a part of the complications..." Seeing her hard stare, he sighed. "Don't worry, I'm going to tell you all after this is over."

Nodding in acceptance, Erza noticed some new words at the entrance. "It seems there are now four members remaining."

The number then changed to five. "Huh?"

Erza smirked. "It seems that man has joined as well."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Wait, who?"

She didn't answer and took off running.

Naruto fumed. "Hey! Wait a second!"

Makarov smiled and cheered internally. 'With Erza revived and Mystogan back, we now have a chance!' He looked over at the raging ninja and the two dragon slayers. 'If only these three could get out there...'

* * *

 **Some Time Later...**

Naruto sat at one of the tables, poking a sleeping Happy to pass the time. He suddenly slammed his fist on the table, waking the sleeping cat. "I can't believe the only thing we can do is wait!"

Makarov sighed. "We're just going to have to believe in Erza and Mystogan."

 **Crack!**

They all turned to see the stone crumbling off the girls.

"Huh?"

"What was Juvia doing again?"

Naruto ran up to them. "Guys, your okay!"

Lucy blinked. "Naruto? What's going on?"

* * *

Lucy gasped. "The Battle of Fairy Tail?"

"That's horrible!"

"Laxus has gone too far!"

Naruto nodded. "Now that you're all free, the game is over." He turned over to Makarov. "Laxus isn't getting out of this scot-free, I hope?"

The old man shook his head. "He will be getting a severe punishment, don't you worry."

A bunch of screens showing a skull with a lightning bolt across it started popping up all around the guild. **"Do you hear me, gramps? And everyone else from the guild."**

Naruto clenched his fists. "Laxus!"

" **In order to keep the game going, since we lost one of the rules, I decided to make up a new one. I've activated the Thunder Palace."**

Makarov's eyes widened. "The Thunder Palace!?"

" **You have only one hour to defeat us, or will you retire, master? Hahahaha!"** The screens disappeared.

Veins bulged on the old man's head as his anger grew. "What are you thinking Laxus!? Do you plan to hurt innocent people!? NGHH!" He held his chest in pain.

"Old man!" Naruto ran to his side.

Mirajane ran up the stairs. "This is bad, he needs his medicine!" A few moments later she came back with a troubled face. "Everyone! Look outside!"

While everyone ran outside, Naruto picked up Makarov and followed the barmaid to the clinic room. Placing him down onto one of the beds, Mirajane treated the old man.

"Is he going to be okay?" Naruto asked.

Mirajane shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know, he was still recovering from the battle with Phantom..."

There was a sudden sound of thunder that was followed by screams.

"I better see if they're okay." Naruto said and turned to leave but was stopped when Mirajane pulled on his sleeve. He turned back to look at her.

"Please... Stop Laxus..." She pleaded with tears streaming down her face.

The shinobi nodded and left, leaving the weeping barmaid alone with Makarov.

Once Naruto got to the balcony, he noticed Bisca was injured and ran over to her. "What happened!?"

"She shot down one the lighting lacrima, then was struck by lightning. They must have a magic life link on them." Cana explained.

Looking up into the sky, Naruto was baffled to see dozens upon dozens of crystals floating around the town. "So, this is the Palace of Thunder. What's gonna happen if the time runs out?"

Levy had a grim expression on her face. "The entire city would suffer countless lightning strikes."

Naruto sucked his teeth. "And if we try to attack them, we'll only hurt ourselves. What the hell are you thinking Laxus?"

"In the meantime, we have to go out there and stop them." Cana said and ran off, she was followed by Juvia and Lucy.

"Juvia will help!"

"I'll try and get the citizens to evacuate." Lucy said as she followed the other two girls.

"You guys be careful!" Naruto called out.

"Ah! Naruto-Sama is worried about Juvia!" The water mage sighed dreamily.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Is that all you think about?"

Happy flew right next to her. "She liiikes him. Are you jealous?"

"Shut it cat!"

"Guys, be serious! Let's go!" Cana said and the three nodded.

"Right!"

Naruto pounded his fist on the wall in frustration. "Why can't I get out of here!?"

"Naruto."

The blonde turned to see Levy smiling at him. "I think I can help!"

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

"You guys are all trapped in here because of an enchantment, right? I might be able get you out." She said.

A bright smile came to Naruto's face. "Sweet! Then let's not waste any more time!"

* * *

"Lucy watch out!" Happy yelled as he tackled the surprised mage out of the way from an explosion.

"Kyah! What was that!?" Lucy screamed as the cat flew her to safety.

"It's Bickslow!"

A tall man was standing on top of one of the nearby buildings. "Are you the newbie I've been hearing so much about?" He asked as they landed.

Lucy looked up at. "I don't think I wanna know what you've been hearing..."

"You and that Uzumaki guy are a really popular subject, are you guys...?" He raised a pinky and wiggled it.

The Celestial Spirit mage flushed furiously. "N-no! Those are just stupid rumors!"

The tall man sneered. "Then what's that outfit supposed to be? Trying to impress him?"

Lucy stomped her foot. "Again, no! This was supposed to be for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest, until you guys ruined it! Now I'll have to ask Naruto to pay for my half of the rent again..." She mumbled.

Bickslow cackled like a mad man as little objects started floating around his form. "I'll take care of that Naruto guy after I'm finished with you. Get 'er babies!"

* * *

 **Some Time Later at the Guild...**

Naruto sat next to Levi as she deciphered Freed's runes, though he didn't understand a thing she was doing. "So, runes are a lot like fuinjutsu huh? Too bad I suck at it... The most I can do is use a basic sealing scroll." He also knew how to use the key to the seal on his gut, but that was just tightening and loosening it. Though he liked to think he could be good at his if he dedicated himself to learning it.

Levi hummed absentmindedly as she continued to work. Their attention was drawn to the front door when some new words appeared.

 **Lucy Vs. Bickslow**

 **Winner: Lucy**

Naruto pumped a fist. "Way to go, Lucy!"

"That's Lu-Chan for you, I have to my best too!" Levi said and went back to work.

"That girl could actually fight?" Gajeel asked. He just couldn't believe it.

Naruto smirked. "Lucy's pretty strong. In fact, she probably would have kicked your ass back then if she had her keys."

The iron dragon slayer growled. "Huh? You calling me weak!? You wanna fight?"

The blonde got up and sent him a challenging glare. "Sure thing, I'll beat your ass again anytime."

Natsu, feeling left out, joined the fray. "I wanna fight too!" He declared.

"I've got it!" Levi announced happily.

The three turned to see the petite girl walk over to the front door.

"You solved it?"

She stopped right outside. "Yup! You guys ready to enter the battle of Fairy Tail?"

Naruto, Natsu, and Gajeel all cracked their knuckles. "Yeah!"

Levi nodded and did her magic. They walked to the door and, to their delight, passed right through with no problems.

"Alright! Thanks Levi, you're awesome!" Naruto said and was about to run off when she called out.

"Wait, Freed probably still has traps laid out throughout the city." She warned. "So you should all split up and stay apart. If you guys end up having to fight each other, it won't end well."

Naruto and the two dragon slayers all looked at each other before nodding.

"Okay, let's go!"

* * *

Naruto ran along the rooftops, hopping from building to building. 'Okay, where are you Laxus...' He stopped abruptly when a sudden wave of energy hit him. It felt demonic, but familiar at the same time. 'Better go check it out.' He thought as he jumped in the direction he felt the evil energy came from.

Coming to a stop on a bridge, he saw a fallen Elfman, Juvia, and Cana.

"Guys!" Naruto ran over and checked each one of them for injuries. They all seemed okay, just unconscious.

His attention was caught by a bright light followed by an explosion. "Mira...Chan?"

Mirajane's appearance had drastically changed. Her hair was now floating straight up in a wild fashion, and her ears were long and pointy. Her arms were covered in scaly gauntlets, complete with sharp claws. Instead of her usual dress, she was wearing a one-piece suit that reveal most of her belly. Crack-like lines ran along parts of her skin. All and all, she straight-up looked like a demon.

"That's Nee-Chan's... Satan Soul." Elfman grumbled, now awake, and Naruto helped him up. "I never thought I would see it again, that power..."

Naruto watched in astonishment as Mirajane pummeled her foe, who also looked demonic himself.

Seeing the blonde's bewildered expression, Elfman explained. "Satan Soul is a magic that allows the user to take over the form, power, and abilities of a demon."

The ninja's eyes widened. 'A demon?'

They continued to watch the seemingly one sided match until Mirajane ended up on top of the green haired man, ready to finish him off with a fist reared back.

Naruto was about to interfere but was stopped by Elfman. "What are you-" He stopped when the man shook his head and just watched. Doing the same, Naruto watched as the white-haired beauty reverted back to her normal self.

Cana had long since woken up and walked over to the two boys, leaning onto Naruto's shoulder when she couldn't walk anymore. "There's just no stopping that girl, is there?"

"That was the last of them right? Now all that's left is Laxus himself." Naruto slammed a fist into his hand. "Time to teach that guy a lesson." He then walked over to Juvia, who was still unconscious. "But first..." He said as he picked the girl up. "We should get you guys back to the guild."

* * *

 **A/N: Oh man, you ready for Naruto vs Laxus next chapter? I am!**

 **What did you guys think of the new sage mode design?**

 **The reason I had Naruto trapped in the guild as well as Natsu and Gajeel is simple. Since we found out that the foster parent dragons were inside of the dragon slayers, I would assume that's the reason Natsu and Gajeel were "over eighty". It wasn't Natsu or Gajeel, but the dragons inside them that made them not able to go through the rune. So it would only make sense for Naruto to be affected by this, since Kurama is sealed in him.**

 **Okay, I'm done. Review to tell me what you think I did good or bad. Thank you for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	11. Revelations

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 3/15/2017**

* * *

Naruto hopped from building to building, he had just left the guild after dropping off some of the injured. He glanced up at the floating crystals in the sky. 'There's only a couple more minutes till those things go off. I better hurry and find Laxus.'

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of shattering glass, and a lot of it.

All the glass on the church had been blown to smithereens. "Found you! Laxus!"

Now knowing where he needed to go, Naruto sped his way towards his final destination.

* * *

Jumping from the rooftops and landing in front of the the entrance to the church, Naruto found Erza and Natsu staring at who he thought was Mystogan at first, but then he saw the man's veil had been blown off.

"J-Jellal!?" Erza gawked. "You're alive?"

Naruto stared at the man with wide and unbelieving eyes. "Wait a second! Mystogan, you were Jellal the whole time!?"

Mystogan looked at Erza before shaking his head. "I didn't want you to see this face, Erza. But I am not Jellal." A shroud of mist began to swirl around him. "I'm sorry, but I leave the rest to you."

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" Natsu fumed.

Naruto turned his attention to Laxus. "Deactivate the Palace of Thunder before someone gets hurt Laxus!" After seeing first-hand what it did to people, he could only imagine the destruction the rest of them would bring.

The man in question smirked. "Now why would I do that and ruin the game?" Laxus thrust a hand forward and shot a thunder bolt at Erza, causing her to scream out in pain when the lightning struck her body. "And wipe that stupid look off your face!"

"Erza!" Natsu was about to charge at Laxus but stopped when Naruto stood in front of him. "Naruto! Get out of my way, I'm gonna kick Laxus' ass!"

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, but I got a bone to pick with this guy." He then turned to Erza. "Hey Erza, are you alright?"

The knight stood up and nodded.

Naruto nodded back to her. "Good, you and Natsu do something about those lightning lacrima, I'll take care of Laxus."

"What!? No way! I haven't fought a single person yet! Natsu whined. He was tired of Naruto stealing the spotlight!

Laxus gained an amused grin. "Oh?"

Erza nodded and turned to the pink haired teen. If that was Naruto's plan, then she would go with it. "Natsu, let's leave this to Naruto. We're going to take care of the Thunder Palace."

Natsu hesitated for a second, but eventually he grumbled in acknowledgment and the two and ran out of the church.

Erza and Naruto shared a look before she followed Natsu.

'Will you be okay?'

'Of course.'

The thunder mage laughed out loud. "Interesting! Show me what you've got, Naruto Uzumaki!"

The ninja folded his arms over his red cloak and stared the man in eye. "You still think all of this is just a game, don't you? What is so important to make you put the lives of innocent people at risk!?"

Laxus frowned. "You just don't see it, do you? This guild is in such a sorry state, but I'm going to change it! _My_ Fairy Tail will be the strongest!"

The two powerhouses charged towards each other, their fists collided and a shock wave kicked up a gust of wind around them.

Naruto clenched his teeth as he felt electricity flow into him through his arm. Jumping back, he created a dozen clones and together they circled their target.

"Too easy!" Laxus scoffed and released a burst of electricity through the air, destroying all of the clones in the process. He then looked up to see his opponent standing on the ceiling.

Naruto threw a shuriken and put his hands in a hand seal. **"Shuriken Kage Bushin!"**

What was once a single throwing star was now a thousand deadly pointy objects hurdling down at the mage.

"Not bad, but not enough!" Laxus' body turned into lighting and he charged right at the metal hell storm. Every single metal object was deflected off his body harmlessly.

'Shoot!' Not expecting his opponent to go right through his attack, Naruto jumped out of the way of the lightning user. Butt he was caught off guard when Laxus changed directions almost instantly and plowed right into him, sending the ninja hurdling into the ground.

"Guh!" The shinobi grunted in pain as he made an indent on the church floor.

"You're holding back... Do you take me for a fool Uzumaki!?" Laxus roared angrily as Naruto pulled himself out of the ground. "Show me that power you used against Natsu the other day! Or that vile red energy I've been hearing about! Show me your true power!"

Naruto frowned. "You want to see me at full power? Fine." He closed his eyes and drew in the surrounding energies. 'I didn't want to use Sage Mode since I still can't control it completely, but it looks like I have no choice...'

Laxus watched with curiosity as he felt the surrounding magic swarm around his adversary. 'He's absorbing the Ethernano around him into his body...'

His eyes now outlined by a bright orange, Naruto opened them, now in his new form of Sage Mode.

The lightning scarred man raised an eyebrow. "Those are some interesting looking eyes."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Naruto said and blurred out of existence.

Laxus didn't have time to even react when the sage appeared right in front of him and punched him into the air. 'He's faster!' He thought as he caught himself mid-air.

Surrounding himself in his lightning cloak, Laxus zoomed around the teen with blinding speed. "You may have gotten faster, but can you keep up with this!?"

Naruto just stood there motionless as the lightning man blurred around him. He raised a single hand and caught a lightning charged fist, surprising its owner.

Laxus pulled his fist back and threw a barrage of punches and kicks, but Naruto blocked them all without even looking. "How are you doing that!?"

Naruto looked at his fellow blonde with his cross-shaped eyes. "I can sense everything you do." He explained as he blocked another series of attacks. "I can also do this." Naruto grabbed onto on of Laxus' arms, not even flinching when the mage channeled lightning into his limb. He then proceeded to punch the man in the gut repeatedly and then throwing him to the ground.

'Is this even the same person!? Laxus thought after coughing up blood. Those punches were on a whole other level! It was like he was fighting a completely different person!

Naruto crossed his arms again. "Let's stop this, Laxus. Erza and Natsu are going to stop your little crystals. There's no point in fighting against comrades like this."

A beeping noise caught their attention and they turned to see a magic screen display that the Palace of Thunder had malfunctioned.

Naruto chuckled as the names of everyone in the guild popped up. "Heh, you see what I mean? Everyone here helps each other out, they all care for each other. Why would you want to change that?"

Laxus stood up, electricity sparking around his body. "...Shut up..."

Naruto smiled. "Why can't you just be a part of the group? This place is great, everyone is treated like family her-."

"I said shut up!"

Naruto had to shield his eyes as magical power exploded from Laxus. The man's shirt was incinerated by the power that erupted from his form.

"I should have just used my power to take over the guild by force, not any of these silly games..."

The shinobi widened his eyes in shock as the man's appearance began to change. 'This feeling, it's just like Natsu and Gajeel! Is he…!?'

Laxus' eyes glowed white and his teeth sharpened at the edges, the upper parts of his arms were now scaly. "I will destroy anyone who gets in my way!" Taking a deep breath, Laxus roared.

" **Lightning Dragon's Roar!"**

Naruto sprang into action as the concentrated lightning left the man's mouth. He barreled out of the way and created two clones. He put his hands back towards them and quickly went to work. With two fully charged Rasengans in his palms, the ninja dashed forward. **"Rasengan Barag-"**

The blue sphere in his left hand suddenly changed to a brilliant yellow before imploding on itself. "Agh!" Naruto cried out in pain as he held his now bleeding hand. 'What the hell was that!?'

Laxus roared again, and this time the lightning hit true. Naruto shouted in pain as the lighting coursed throughout his entire body. Even with his improved durability, lightning still hurt like hell.

With a grunt of effort Naruto tanked the full force of the attack until the lightning subsided. He fell to his knees, still holding his injured limb.

The lightning dragon slayer appeared in front of the whiskered teen and raised a fist. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!"

Upon bringing his fist down, he shouted. **"Raging Bolt!"**

"Grahhh!" Impact aside, all Naruto felt was pain as the powerful spell shocked him.

Watching his enemy fall with glee, Laxus laughed maniacally. "I guess that was it for you! Now I shall eliminate everyone in this entire town!"

The shinobi struggled to get up with his good arm, he couldn't even feel his left hand anymore. What had gone wrong with his technique? "How do you plan... to do that?"

The lightning mage sent his fellow blonde an uncaring glance before grinning madly. "Like this." He raised his hands up and a blinding light came into existence. "This is one of the three great spells of Fairy Tail! Fairy Law! With this power, I'm going to exterminate all of you weaklings!"

Naruto tried to stand but found he was no longer in Sage Mode and couldn't get up, the exhaustion from using the technique hitting him like a train. 'Shoot! I can't move!'

"Laxus! Stop!" A high-pitched voice screamed, getting the attention of both blondes. Levy stood at what was left of the entrance of the church, most of the building had been blown away from the lighting attacks. "The master... Your grandfather is at death's door! Stop all this and just go see him!"

Naruto widened his eyes. 'The old man is...'

This news seemed to cause Laxus to stop for a moment, before he grinned wickedly. "Well how convenient for me, looks like my chances of becoming the next master just went up!"

Levy brought a hand to her mouth, tears falling freely from her eyes. "How cruel..."

Naruto growled viciously. "Bastard!"

"Activate! Fairy Law!" The light in his hands expanded, reaching past the building. Engulfing the entire town in its glory.

…

When the spell died down, Laxus hunched over to catch his breath. "I've... done it..."

His musing was cut short when he heard a couple of coughs throughout the dust. "What!? How are you all not dead!?"

"Levy, are you alright?" Naruto choked out.

"Y-yeah." She replied.

Laxus began to tremble. "No... My Fairy Law was flawless, it was perfect! How...?"

"It's your heart, Laxus."

He looked over to see Freed leaning against one of the church's walls. "Freed!"

"You've inherited the master's caring heart for his comrades, that's why your Fairy Law failed. Deep down, you truly see us as your comrades." The green haired man explained with a smile on his face.

"No! I'm not his grandson! I'm my own person, I'm Laxus! LAXUS!" Laxus screamed out in defiance.

"Are you kidding me... that's what this was all about?" Naruto said and stood, back in Sage Mode. "You mean to tell me that you did all of this... Just because you were sick of people looking at you as the old man's grandson!?"

"You don't understand! How could you!?" Laxus spat.

"If you want to be acknowledged for who you are, then start by caring for your comrades! We don't care if you're the old man's grandson!" Naruto yelled.

"Shut up!" Laxus was fed up with this annoying brat lecturing him. He charged a lightning strike and threw it with all his might.

Naruto walked towards him and punched through the lightning, scattering it on impact.

The lightning mage didn't stop and continued to throw bolt after bolt. "Just. Die!"

The shinobi just continued to plow through the lightning strikes until he was face to face with the man. "Why would you need other people's approval when you have a caring family to back you up! Get it through that thick skull of yours!" Naruto yelled and headbutt Laxus square in the forehead.

The lightning dragon slayer fell back, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

Naruto sighed and sat down, it was finally over.

"Naruto, are you okay!?" Levy ran over to the victorious teen.

Naruto mustered a laugh. "Yeah… but I can't feel both my hands."

* * *

 **The Next Day...**

"Thanks to Porlyusica-San, the master's life is no longer in danger." Erza announced to the guild members, causing them all to cheer.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Thank goodness, I knew the old man would be fine!"

"Hey, do you need help with that?" Lucy asked. Naruto had a steaming hot bowl of ramen sitting in front of him, but with the casts on both of his hands, she didn't think he'd be able to eat it by himself.

The ramen-addict wept anime tears. "Curse these bandages! I can't eat my ramen like this!"

"Well... I guess I can feed it to you, since it can't be helped." Lucy mumbled with a tint of red in her cheeks. It would be embarrassing, but how else was he going to eat?

"Juvia will feed Naruto-Sama!"

"Oh, thanks Juvia! You're a life saver!"

The celestial spirit mage completely deflated as she watched Juvia fed Naruto his ramen, and fumed when the water mage stuck her tongue out victoriously.

Everyone's attention was suddenly grabbed when the front doors when they swung open and Laxus walked in. "I'm here to see the old man." He said.

"Laxus!"

"You got some nerve..."

They were stopped by Erza. "Enough." She said and stared at Laxus for a long second, looking for any hint of aggression. When she found none, Erza pointed towards the stairs. "He's in the medical room through there."

Laxus walked off silently, ignoring what the others were saying.

"Laxus." Naruto called out, and the stopped. "I'm down for a rematch anytime, if you think you're up for it?"

"..." The lightning mage said nothing and continued his way.

"How rude!" Lucy huffed. "He'd could have at least said something..." Her words trailed off when she saw her partner smirking. "What?"

Naruto shook his head and laughed. There was a secret meaning behind that silence, and only the two that shared it would understand. "Juvia, more please!"

"Hai! Naruto-Sama, say Ah." Juvia chirped happily, clearly enjoying the situation.

Lucy blushed furiously as she watched the scene before her, but found herself unable to do anything about it. She turned an even darker shade of red when she saw Happy looking at her, giggling to himself. "Not a word cat!"

This caused the rest of the guild to laugh. It seems everything was back to normal at Fairy Tail, again.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to take part in the parade Naruto? Lucy asked with worried tone while looking at the ninja's still bruised fists. "They still don't look fully healed yet..."

Naruto waved her off. "You worry too much, you know I heal fast. Besides, I'm just gonna spam a bunch of Shadow Clones, nothing too flashy." After all, Naruto was now known throughout Fiore for his cloning abilities thanks to a certain magazine.

"If you say so..." Lucy still couldn't help but worry though, she knew how reckless he was.

"The parade's about to start everyone! Get into your places!" Someone called out.

"Oh, I better get with the other girls, don't push yourself too hard!" Lucy said and ran off to her spot with the others.

After a couple more minutes the parade started, and the mages of Fairy Tail marched down the street with pride in their steps. The townsfolk watched in awe as they watched the different shows of magic and performances.

Naruto had decided to create of bunch of clones and have them run and jump around, with some of them giving the crown high-fives as they passed. Some would even transform into the crowd members themselves, making them laugh.

The real Naruto smiled happily as he watched all the joyful faces, he really was starting to love this town.

* * *

After the parade ended, everyone was now celebrating back at the guild.

Makarov walked over to where Naruto was cheering with some other mages. "Naruto my boy! How are your hands? You didn't push yourself too much just for us, did you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm fine, no need to stress over me gramps."

The wizard saint nodded his head. "With everyone is gathered up like this, I believe now is a good time to get your answer."

Naruto sighed. "I guess I can't put it off any longer, huh?" Getting up from his seat, Naruto walked over to the stage in the back of the bar and hopped up. "Hey! I got something to say guys!"

Once everyone was silent and listening, he cleared his throat for what he was about to reveal. "First of all, I'd like to say great work with the festival! We really knocked em dead!"

Everyone cheered at that.

Raising a bandaged arm, he continued. "I've only been a member of this guild for a couple months, but I felt like a part of this family since day one. For that, I'd also like to thank you all."

"What are you getting at. Naruto?" Natsu snorted. "All this formal talk doesn't really suit you."

Naruto chuckled awkwardly when everyone laughed at him. "Sorry, but there's just some things I gotta to tell you all about me. Some things that I've been hiding from you all that needs to told."

Erza listened intently to his words. Was he finally going to share his "complications" with them?

"Well, first and foremost, you know how I said that I wasn't from around here? That I was from somewhere really far?" He braced himself for came next, still unsure if they were going to believe him or not. "I'm actually from a place called the Elemental Nations, a different dimension."

The whole guild gasped at the revelation.

Lucy smiled. Now he would see that no one cared if he came from another dimension, because that was how the people here in Fairy Tail were.

Before anyone could speak, Naruto continued again. "Wait, before you say anything, there's one more thing I haven't told anyone yet."

'There was something else?' The Celestial spirit mage frowned, this was news to her. What had he not told her?

Naruto steeled himself before finally speaking. "The day I was born, a great demon known as the nine-tailed fox attacked my home, Konohagakure. The shinobi of the village were no match for its power, so the leader of the village sealed the demon away inside me." He pulled up his shirt to show the seal adorning his belly.

Lucy looked at the markings. 'That's what those were.' She had given them off as a tattoo or something, but they were actually there to keep a demon sealed up. Then that would also mean the vile red energy Naruto was using during their battle with Phantom must have been the demon's power.

Naruto looked down and closed his eyes, waiting for everyone's reaction to his story. What he didn't expect was for everyone to start laughing. "H-huh?" He stuttered.

"It all makes sense now!" Someone said.

"All that talk about chakra instead of magic, and those weird hand signs?"

The shinobi hopped down, confused about why they were reacting like this. "But why? How can you all be laughing when I told you I'm from a completely different dimension? Or that I have an unstoppable demon locked up inside me?"

Erza walked over to him and grabbed his head, before slamming it against her armored chest. "You really are an airhead." She smiled. "You said it yourself, we accepted you into our family since day one."

Naruto rubbed his aching head against his cast. "But... the demon fox."

"Who cares if you have some dumb demon inside you? Your still Naruto, and that's all that matters!" Natsu exclaimed, wrapping an arm around the stunned jinchuuriki.

He looked at everyone with wide eyes. "Really? It doesn't bother you all in the slightest?"

Seeing them all smile and nod, Naruto felt moisture in the corner of his eyes. His whole life, he was treated as a monster. He was always alone with no one to call family. For these people to just accept him, just like that. No, he should have known this would have been their reaction, it was just the kind of people they were.

"I didn't think you were such a softy, Naruto." Gray joked.

"Sh-shut up! I'm not crying!" Naruto denied, whipping the tears on his sleeve.

Lucy hugged him. "You should have known better; Fairy Tail is a family. Baka..."

Naruto laughed and hugged her back. "Yeah."

Their little moment was ruined when Juvia jumped onto his back and separated the two, her chest pressing against the back of Naruto's head. "Juvia thinks so too!"

"Eh!? Juvia!?"

Erza pulled his head against her armored chest again. "We all think that."

Cana gained a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Group hug!" She yelled and grabbed hold of one of his arms, squeezing it between her cleavage.

"Oh my, I guess that means me too." Mirajane said as she grabbed hold of his other arm.

Everyone laughed as Naruto blushed furiously and held back a nose bleed as the girls held onto him.

"You guys!" Lucy pouted as she fought to hold onto her partner.

Reedus took the opportunity to sketch the scene out. This would be a memory for everyone to laugh at in the future.

Makarov chuckled to himself amusingly. 'Good for you, boy.' He was brought out of his thoughts when Gajeel walked up next to him.

"Here, master." Gajeel said, handing the old man a slip of paper. "I have your son Ivan's location."

Taking the paper, Makarov nodded thankfully. "Sorry to have you do such a dangerous thing."

"There's something I have to warn you about though." The iron dragon slayer said abruptly. "From what I told him about the events that have happened, Ivan's gained some interest in Naruto."

"Hm..." This didn't settle well with the wizard saint. Did his son know that Naruto wasn't from this dimension, or the demon? "Well in any case, we won't let him do as he pleases."

"Ah! Gajeel!" Naruto yelled. Now free from the girl's hold on him, the blonde pointed an accusing finger/cast. "Where the hell have you been this whole time!?"

"Who would want jump in the middle of a fight between two monster!? I ain't stupid, I know when to pick my battles. Unlike a certain loud mouthed fire-sucker." He fired back, causing Natsu to raise and angry fist.

"You picking a fight with me? I didn't get to fight anyone so bring it on!" That said, the pink haired teen tackled Gajeel, knocking over a bunch of people in the process.

One thing led to another and eventually everybody was dragged into the usual bar fight.

Makarov sighed. "You kids are gonna be the end of me..."

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, was he dreaming? He could barely make out his surroundings and saw nothing but trees, a forest?

His attention was caught by a giggle. Turning to find the owner of the laugh, he caught a glimpse of long blonde hair disappear behind one of the trees. _'Hey, wait up!'_

Following the laughing girl, Naruto looked up to see the biggest tree he had ever seen in his entire life.

The ninja now suddenly found himself standing in front of what he thought was a grave. He read the name on the stone. _'Mavis Vermilion. Who's that?'_

Hearing another giggle, Naruto turned around to find a girl standing behind him.

His vision was still too blurry to make out her face, but he could see that she was wearing a long dress and had no shoes on.

She spoke, her voice echoing enchantingly. _"Find me, when the time comes."_

Naruto woke up and sat up. 'It was just a dream! But it felt so real...'

That girl... who was she? Mavis Vermilion, he'd have to ask the old man the next time he saw him.

Reaching onto the table in front of his couch, he grabbed onto a notebook and pencil. After writing down the name of the mysterious girl, the tired blonde closed his eyes again and went back to sleep.

* * *

 **Konoha...**

A tall lanky man walked alone down a hallway towards the Hokage's office. He had long gray hair that spiked slightly to the side of his head. This man was Kakashi Hatake, elite jonin of the village hidden in the leaves, sensei of Naruto Uzumaki.

He walked up to the Hokage's door and knocked.

"Enter!"

Opening the door, Kakashi walked in and greeted his superior with a bow. "Hokage-Sama."

"How was the mission? Did you find any news regarding the Akatsuki?" Tsunade asked.

"No, they've been suspiciously quiet as of late."

With Naruto being in the other dimension, the terrorist organization hadn't made any big moves. The only tailed beasts they needed were the Hachibi and the Kyuubi. The village hidden in the clouds, Kumo, was currently hiding their jinchuuriki. But who knew how long that would last?

Tsunade sighed. "I still can't decide whether having Naruto in that other dimension is blessing, or a curse."

Kakashi was about to say something when the air behind him began to swirl. The copy ninja jumped back and pulled up his headband, unleashing his Sharingan. 'How was the barrier breached without us knowing!?'

The swirling stopped to reveal a man wearing a black cloak with red clouds plastered on it, a swirling orange mask covering his face. "Greetings."

"Madara!" Tsunade yelled as her chakra spiked.

The Akatsuki member chuckled. "That won't be necessary, I already know the Kyuubi is no longer in our realm."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you here?" The man in front of him obviously knew about the other dimension, so there was no point trying to hide it.

"I came to tell you that we've found a way to get into this other dimension."

The leaf ninjas widened their eyes in shock. "What!?"

The space around the masked man's face began to swerve, his body slowly diapering. "One more thing, the Kyuubi is all that's left until Infinite Tsukuyomi takes place." He said darkly before fading away.

As if to confirm what them man just said, Shizune burst through the door. "Tsunade-Sama! We just got word from Kumo that their jinchuuriki was captured!"

Tsunade shouted in rage and threw her desk through the window, causing the other two to flinch. How did the Akatsuki find a way to the other dimension? No, before that, they needed to warn Naruto. "Shizune! Send a message to the toads to warn Naruto that the Akatsuki have found a way to get to him!"

Shizune gasped, but nodded and left.

"Kakashi! I need you to put together a five-man squad, we're finding a way into that dimension!"

* * *

 **A/N: So the Akatsuki found a way to get to Naruto, and it looks like Konoha is going to send our blonde hero some reinforcements in the future. I wonder who it'll be?**

 **How did you guys like the Naruto vs Laxus fight?**

 **What was with that dream Naruto had?**

 **With this chapter, the story has now hit fifty-thousand words! Another milestone for hopefully many more to come! :p**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	12. Troublesome Demons

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

A/N: The reason why Naruto didn't wipe the floor with Laxus in the last chapter with the new Sage Mode was because he still can't control it completely. Since it's a lot stronger than he's used to, Naruto had to hold back(a lot) and take a lot more hits than he had to. He didn't want to risk killing the guy by accident.

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 3/15/2017**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

"He got first place!?"

Naruto cackled loudly as he counted his winnings. "I wonder how much ramen I can buy with this?"

The results for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest came in and were posted all over the guild. Naruto had won first place by a landslide with Erza coming in second and Lucy in third.

Lucy was balling her eyes out internally. 'First he beats me in a feminine contest, now he's going to spend all that rent money on noodles...'

Seeing his partner's depressed state, Naruto held out the prize money and grinned. "Here."

This took Lucy by surprise. "Wait, what? Why?"

Naruto shrugged. "I was planning on giving you the prize money if I won in the first place. I don't really need it anyways."

Lucy was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Now she didn't have to ask him to pay for her half of the rent. No wait, if she accepted the money, then Naruto would still technically be paying the entire rent. "Thanks Naruto, but I think you should spend it on something you want."

Yeah, all he ever did was help her, she wouldn't feel right with herself by just taking it.

"Oh, if you say so." After sealing the cash into a storage scroll, Naruto frowned when he noticed Erza was sitting by herself, seemingly lost in thought. Was she upset about getting second place to him? He didn't think she was the sore-loser type. "Hey, what's up with Erza lately?"

Lucy looked over to the S-class mage and shrugged. "I don't know, she's been like that ever since the Harvest Festival ended." Getting a sudden feeling as though she was being watched, Lucy whirled around, and found nothing.

Seeing the girl's obvious discomfort, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

The celestial spirit mage shook her head. "I don't really know, lately I feel like I'm being watched." Lucy explained and was startled when Naruto suddenly stepped in front of her defensively, looking around intensely.

"A stalker? Where is the creep!? I'll teach them not to mess with us!"

Lucy blushed from the attention her fellow blonde was drawing to them. "Calm down! I might just be imagining it!"

Naruto flinched, what was with this girl and her sudden changes in emotion? "If you say so… Hey, wanna go get a bite to eat? I'm starving!"

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry right now. How about you ask Natsu and Happy, I'm sure they'll go with you." Lucy suggested.

The ninja nodded before turning around and shouting. "Hey Natsu! Happy! Let's go get some food! My treat!"

* * *

 **Some Time Later...**

Lucy sighed as she ascended the light of stairs to her shared apartment. 'Stupid papa, showing up out of nowhere like that and demanding money.'

She had a run in with her father on the way home and learned that the man had lost everything. He even had the nerve to demand some money from her after all the man had done.

Unlocking and opening the door, Lucy walked in to find Naruto... and a lot of instant ramen. "...Wha..."

There was ramen everywhere, the entire room was filled with the stuff!

"You didn't seriously spend five-hundred-thousand jewels on ramen did you!?" Lucy shrieked, her face draining all of its color.

Stopping what he was doing, Naruto looked up at her and grinned, "Oh, hey Lucy. Check it out! I did what you said and bought something I wanted, and look at all the ramen! Isn't it great?" He said with a huge grin while looking at all the wonderful food around him with pride.

Lucy just stood there, completely lost for words. Just how much did this guy love ramen? She then noticed all the scrolls sprawled around the room as well. "...What are those?"

Naruto picked up one of his scrolls. "Oh, these? They're all sealing scrolls that I'm storing all the ramen in. Each one is holding about fifty cups or so." He explained, not noticing the mortified look growing on Lucy's face.

"Y-you went all-out, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded happily. "Yup! Hey, you look pretty tired, are you feeling alright?"

Remembering the conversation with her father, Lucy laughed nervously. "Y-yeah… I'm just tired from all the excitement recently." Seeing his now serious face, she sighed in defeat. He saw right through her, huh? "I ran into my father on the way home."

Naruto jumped up in surprise, dropping cups and scrolls alike onto the floor. "He didn't try to bring you back again, did he!?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, he actually came to tell me that the family business had been bought out. He doesn't have the power to do anything now."

"Oh." Naruto relaxed and sat back down. "I can't say he didn't deserve it, but he's still your father. What about your mother's grave?" He asked, remembering her mother's grave was on the property.

Lucy pulled out a slip of paper. "It was moved."

Naruto looked at Lucy in concern before he went back to sealing all the ramen into scrolls. "You go shower up, I'll get all of this done by the time you're out. How about we go on a mission tomorrow?"

Lucy's face brightened, if not a little. "Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

Naruto and Lucy stood in front of the mission board, looking for a job that they would want to accept.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked.

"Hm... How about that one?" Naruto suggested.

"Another monster hunt? We always do those." Lucy whined. "We should do a different type of job this time."

An arm came between them. "Juvia thinks this one."

The blondes turned to find Juvia pointing at a request that was labeled: _"Missing Fishing Boats"_

Lucy picked the paper off the board and read it. "Wow, this one looks good. It has a seven-hundred-fifty thousand reward. There must have been quite a few boat disappearances."

Naruto looked at Juvia. "I guess you're coming with us then, Juvia?"

"Yup!" The water mage chirped and grabbed onto one of his arms, much to Lucy's irritation. "Juvia will go wherever Naruto-Sama goes!"

The shinobi laughed. "Then it's decided!"

* * *

"I thought we were here for a mission." Naruto said with a flat look a slight blush on his face.

"We are, what makes you think otherwise?" Lucy questioned innocently.

The trio were now at a beach that was near where the boats were disappearing. Their job was to investigate the reason behind it all and take care of it. But what the shinobi didn't understand was why they needed to be in swimsuits.

Naruto was wearing orange swim-trunks with black flames at the bottom. Lucy and Juvia both wore bikinis, the first in a plain white and the other a blue with white polka-dots.

"We should all be battle ready, not in our swimsuits. Who knows what we'll find out there." Naruto said while nodding his head sagely.

"Sorry, do we look so good in our bikinis that it's distracting to you?" Lucy teased, and snickered when the ninja turned a few shades redder.

"I'm gonna go see if I can sense anything weird." Naruto grumbled and walked towards the water.

"Juvia will help!" Juvia said and merrily followed.

Lucy walked along the beach and noticed three large trails in the sand that lead into the ocean. 'I wonder who these belong to?'

"Hey, Lucy!" Naruto called out.

The celestial spirit mage turned to see Naruto and Juvia coming back to the shore. Walking over to them, she pointed over at the trails she found. "There's a big trail going into the ocean, looks like you'll be getting your monster hunt after all."

Naruto nodded. "I think you might be right, Juvia found where all the missing boats are underwater. Let's go check it out."

* * *

With the help of Juvia's water bubbles, the group swam to where the boats were.

Juvia pointed to the entrance of a large underwater cavern and upon entering, the blondes gasped. There were ships all over the place, or at least what was left of them.

The boats were thrashed to say the least, metal and wood scattered throughout the ocean floor.

Swimming closer to one of the larger ships, Naruto noticed it was covered in what he thought looked like teeth marks. 'This was definitely the work of a monster.' He thought.

At the touch of his shoulder, the ninja turned to find Juvia who was pointing up. Lucy was swimming towards the roof of the cavern. Making their way towards the girl, Naruto began to see why she was going up. There was another opening going up to an air-filled cave.

Swimming up to the surface, Naruto climbed up and stood on top of the water. "What do you guys think? Monster hunting time?" He asked after removing the water bubble from his head.

Lucy nodded. "There is definitely a monster somewhere in those waters. What else would be able to bite chunks that big out of those boats like that?"

"Juvia thinks so too."

Naruto felt a chill go down his spine. 'This feeling… a demon?' He suddenly jumped off the water and landed next to the girls just as a massive pair of jaws snapped shut where he once stood.

"Eep! What is that!?" Lucy shrieked.

"Looks like we don't have to go hunting, the monster came hunting for us." Naruto said as the creature stared at them with hungry eyes.

The creature looked like a giant crocodile and was at least twice the length of the sunken ships they found. This was definitely the thing behind all the disappearances, if those giant sharpened teeth had anything to say about it.

They all jumped back when the crocodile climbed out of the water and into the cave with them, it's three long tails dragging along behind it.

'Three tails?' Naruto thought with a raised eyebrow. This couldn't be a coincidence, he was going to have chat with a certain nine tailed fox after this was all over. "Lucy, Juvia, buy me some time!" He yelled and began to draw in the surrounding energies.

"Right!" They both said and sprang into action.

" **Water Slicer!"** Juvia yelled and water shot out at the monster, hitting it directly. Though it didn't seem to be all that effective.

" **Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"** Lucy chanted and summoned the horse-dressed spirit.

"You called, Moshi Moshi?" The spirit saluted before firing a barrage of arrows upon the beast, but the shots didn't seem to do anything either.

"Its scales are too hard for our attacks to pierce!" Lucy said as Sagittarius and Juvia continued their assault.

"Let me have a try!" Naruto yelled as he ran passed them and towards the roaring demon, now in Sage Mode. He slid past its snapping jaws and jumped onto the creature's back. "How do you like this!" He yelled as he jumped into the air and drop his heel into the crocodile's scales, earning a loud thud and some crunching noises.

It collapsed onto the ground and hissed in pain. "I'm not done yet!" Naruto grabbed onto one of the demon's tails and pulled.

Lucy and Juvia both watched in awe as the shinobi swung the monster over his shoulder, slamming it into the water causing a huge splash.

"Amazing..."

"Naruto-Sama is so cool!"

Naruto jumped onto the water and watched as the three-tailed demon sank motionlessly. He turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up. "Mission accomplished!"

Watching them cheer, the blonde ninja laughed before sensing something and looking down again. 'Aww shi-'

 **Splash!**

"Naruto!" The girls shrieked as they witnessed the teen get swallowed up by the crocodile. They ran to the water as the creature sank back into the water and began to swim away.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy yelled and jumped into the water, with Juvia right behind her.

* * *

'You're not eating me that easily!' Naruto thought as he struggled to keep the demon's mouth open. With all the water rushing passed his face and not him not being able to breath, it took all he had just to keep the crocodile's jaws from closing. It had brought them out into the middle of the ocean.

He felt a sudden rumble and the pressure seemed to loosen a little. Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto pushed with all his strength and forced the mouth to open enough to allow his escape.

After getting some distance from the giant reptile, the ninja looked around and saw Lucy along with Aquarius battling with the creature.

His vision began to blur. 'Crap... I need air...' He could faintly see Juvia speeding over towards him, water bubble in hand. Naruto breathed in a mouthful as soon as he felt the air cover his head. "Thanks Juvia... you're a lifesaver!" He said between gasps.

"Naruto-Sama!" Juvia cried and embraced him in a hug. "Juvia thought you were eaten!"

Naruto smiled and pat the crying girl on the head. "It'd take a lot more than that to finish me off." He then looked towards the ongoing battle. "We should go and help Lucy."

Juvia nodded and they began to make their way towards the battle.

The celestial spirit mage seemed to be holding her own against the demon, Aquarius was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Naruto swam up to Lucy and the girl's eyes softened. "Naruto! You're okay!"

The shinobi nodded and looked at the demon as it avoided the water currents shot out by Aquarius. "I'm not very useful underwater, got any plans?"

Lucy thought to herself for a second before looking at Juvia, who nodded. "Yeah, but we're gonna need time."

Naruto grinned. "I guess it's my turn to buy you guys some time then. Okay, here we go!"

As Lucy and Juvia joined hands and began to charge their spell, the shinobi swam full speed towards the giant crocodile.

He summoned a single clone and together they charged a single Rasengan. Gaining gotten its attention, the beast began to swim towards him with its jaws open to swallow the shinobi whole.

The Rasengan began to cause the water around Naruto to swirl until a miniature vortex was formed. 'Still not big enough...' Naruto thought as he pumped more chakra into the technique, making the whirlpool increase in size.

The three-tailed demon drifted head first into the vortex and tried to escape, but couldn't and helplessly swirled in the rotating water.

Naruto watched as the demon swirled around before he sensed an intense flare of magic behind him. He turned around just in time to see a water vortex easily three times larger than his own storm its way towards his location.

Immediately canceling his technique, Naruto rushed out of the way just as the magical water crashed into and through the whirlpool he had created and proceeded to carry the demon up towards the ocean's surface.

Naruto stared at the display of magic with wide eyes before looking over to the cheering girls. 'Magic is crazy... I wonder if I can learn anything like that.' He shook the thought out of his head, for now anyways.

* * *

Naruto whistled as they walked over to where the three-tailed crocodile had landed. After being hurdled into the sky by the powerful spell, it flew all the way onto the beach and crashed into the sand. This thing wasn't getting back up, that's for sure. "That was awesome! I didn't know you could do that kind of magic."

Lucy snickered. "We are pretty awesome, aren't we?"

Juvia flushed red. 'Naruto-Sama called Juvia awesome!'

* * *

After informing the mayor of their success and getting their reward, the three were now on a train back to Magnolia.

Lucy stretched out in her seat and yawned. "Ahh, I'm tired. That was a hard battle..." But it was worth it! Now she didn't have to keep asking Naruto to pay for her half of the rent. Speaking of the ninja, he had fallen asleep the moment the train departed.

"Naruto-Sama is so cute when he's asleep..." Juvia said and placed her head on his lap.

Lucy's eyebrow twitched. "Hey, you're going to wake him up!" She growled in anger when the water mage stuck her tongue out and pulled down one of her eyelids. "Fine! Do what you want!" Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. Why should she care anyways? It's not like she had any feelings for that obnoxious, loudmouthed ramen-addict... Did she?

'I really need to get my feelings in order...' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop.

Glancing over at Juvia who was now fast asleep on Naruto's lap, Lucy blushed slightly. Was it really that comfortable?

Getting up from her seat, Lucy snuck over to the side opposite of Juvia and sat down next to her fellow blonde. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she rested her head on the shinobi's shoulder. 'I'm just checking to see what the fuss is all about, that's all!' Lucy reassured herself as her eyes slowly closed. 'So warm...'

* * *

 **In Naruto's Mindscape...**

"Hey, fox!" Naruto called out.

There was a slight rumbling noise coming from the darkened cage. **"Hm? What do you want, brat?"**

Naruto crossed his arms. "You know why I'm here. I want answers. Just what are all these demons I keep running into like the one I fought today? Don't bother trying to hide it, I know you know something!"

The fox chuckled in mild amusement. **"Hmph, very well. I will grant you with some of the knowledge I possess. However, you must give me some knowledge in return."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. What would he know that the demon fox didn't? "Uh, sure. What do you want to know?"

" **I was wondering if you've been having any strange... dreams as of late?"**

"Dreams?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

" **Yes, about a little human girl in a forest, to be specific."**

The ninja's eyes widened slightly. How did he know about that dream? "Yeah, do you know what it means?"

The nine-tailed fox shook his head. **"No, but I have been having similar visions and was curious. Now, you want to know more about those lesser demons?"**

Naruto frowned at not getting a straight answer about the weird dream, but nodded nonetheless.

" **As you already know, there are demons in this world that were created by the one called Zeref, the Black Mage Zeref."** Seeing his host nod the fox continued. **"Those demons you have encountered were his creations as well."**

"How do you know all of this? Have you been in this dimension before?" Naruto had a feeling the demon fox wasn't telling him the whole story.

" **There is more than I am letting on."** The Kyuubi yawned and flipped around to go back to sleep. **"But it seems you have reached your destination. We shall speak another time, leave me."**

"Hey! I'm not done asking questions! Oi!" Naruto growled in frustration. Why did the fox have to be so troublesome? Whatever, he'll just come back and get more information later.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and moved to stretch, but found one of his arms were asleep. He turned his head to see a sleeping Lucy snuggled up on his right while Juvia was resting peacefully on his lap.

Fighting back a severe nosebleed, the blonde tapped Lucy on her shoulder with his free arm. "Um, Lucy? The train stopped." He said meekly and started to grow slightly anxious when the girl started to stir awake.

Why was Lucy sleeping on his shoulder? Juvia he could understand, the blue haired girl seemed to be strangely attached to him which he figured was because he was the first people she had met at from the guild. Juvia was very shy around new people.

But what about Lucy? Maybe she had fallen asleep and accidentally fell onto his shoulder. But wasn't she originally sitting on the other side?

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts when Lucy's eyes fluttered opened. She looked at him drowsily for a brief second before realization struck. Her face turned red and she gained a shocked expression, her mouth agape.

"I-I-I-I." Lucy sputtered before jumping off the seat. "I was getting cold! Yeah, it was cold!"

Naruto laughed nervously. "I-is that so..."

"Y-yes! And Juvia! How long do you plan on sleeping there!?" Lucy stuttered and pointed at the water wielder accusingly.

Juvia opened her eyes and casually sat up. "Darn, the train ride is over. Juvia wanted to sleep on Naruto-Sama's lap a little longer…" She then pointed back at Lucy with a challenging look. "What was Lucy doing on Naruto-Sama's shoulder?"

The celestial spirit mage blushed before grabbing her baggage and walking towards the exit of the train. "I said it was cold, and Naruto was warm…" She shivered when Juvia leaked out her killer intent.

Naruto sighed as he watched the two argue. With his arm now awake, he got up and grabbed his stuff as well. "We should head to the guild and get something to eat." He said, his stomach growling loudly. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning."

Juvia's eyes shined at the opportunity. "Juvia will cook something for Naruto-Sama!" The blue haired mage declared and ran out of the train in the blink of an eye.

Lucy sweatdropped. 'Was she expecting me to race her?'

"Hey, Lucy?"

She blinked at her partner's sudden seriousness. "Y-yes?"

"You've been acting kinda strange lately, are you okay?" Naruto asked with slight concern in his voice. Lucy usually had those random mood swings from time to time, but recently they were happening more often. Maybe it was because of her meeting with her father?

Lucy looked at him blankly before smiling. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Naruto studied her for a long second before walking towards the exit of the train, stopping right at the steps. "If anything's bothering you, just let me know." He said before looking back at her and grinning a toothy grin. "We're partners after all."

Lucy nodded and followed him off the train. 'Yeah... partners...'

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

"Hey guys! We're back!" Naruto yelled as he kicked the doors open, he always liked doing that nowadays.

"Welcome back you two, I was just showing everyone a chart of the Balam Alliance." Mirajane greeted and gestured to the board behind her.

"Balam Alliance? What's that?" Naruto asked as he and Lucy sat down at one of the nearby tables.

"Juvia knows! It's the most powerful force in the underworld. A group of three powerful dark guilds." Juvia explained as she set down a fresh bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. "Here's your ramen Naruto-Sama!"

"Thanks Juvia!" Naruto said and got started on his noodles, completely unaware of the envious stares he was getting from the crowd. "So what's up with these dark guilds then?" Then ninja asked between slurps.

"The dark guilds have been active a lot recently. More specifically, the Oraci **ó** n Seis." The barmaid explained.

"They're nothing to worry about though." Someone in the guild said. "Rumor has it there's only six of them."

"May I remind you those six are supporting a third of the underworld? Mirajane said.

"They must all be pretty powerful." Lucy said and shivered. She hoped she never had to fight any of those people… She wouldn't stand a chance by herself!

"About those Oración Seis..." Makarov said as he walked into the guild. "We're going to take them down!"

* * *

 **Somewhere in the Elemental Nations...**

Two cloaked men stood in a dark room, the only light being a single lit candle. The first one, a man who claimed to be the infamous Madara Uchiha, spoke. "Are the preparations almost complete?"

The other man, known as Kabuto Yakushi spoke next. "Almost, I just need a little more time to research. Wouldn't want to send you hurdling through time and space just for you to end up in the wrong destination, now would we?"

Their attention was drawn to a green venus flytrap-like object raising out of the ground.

"Zetsu." 'Madara' greeted. "I trust you have the information I asked you to get?"

"Yes, Madara-Sama. The Hidden Villages are in a minor state of chaos with news of your appearance. As for the information, the Kyuubi had disappeared in a similar way to that of the Hachibi."

The masked man chuckled darkly. "Interesting."

The person that Sasuke had brought them had been a doppelganger. To retaliate, Tobi had sent Kisame to find and retrieve the missing jinchuuriki. But to their surprise, Killer Bee had mysteriously disappeared in a puff of smoke half-way through their fight.

"They must be in the place it seems." Kabuto mused. "But I wonder what brought them there in the first place…"

"I guess we'll have to find out when we get there." The Uchiha said, his only visible eye glowing red.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it folks! Killer Bee is not dead! He's somewhere in Fiore just like our favorite blonde hero!**

 **Who do you think should go on the Nirvana mission this time? I have a general idea on what I want to do, but I want to hear what you guys think!**

 **Naruto might be learning some magic in the future, what kind do you think he should learn? No slayer magic though.**

 **I think it's time I said something about the pairing. Since this is my first story and all, I didn't really want to focus on pairings all that much. But with the direction I'm going with the story, it'll most likely end with a slow building harem(Lucy and Juvia so far obviously).**

 **So what did you guys think? What do you think I did right? Wrong? Review or PM me to let me know if you have any questions!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	13. You Too?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 3/15/2017**

* * *

A couple days after Makarov had revealed that Fairy Tail and three other legal guilds were going to join forces to dispose of the dark guild Oración Seis, Naruto found himself on a carriage heading towards the meeting location. He was currently looking out the window of the carriage, watching the passing scenery.

Naruto glanced over at Lucy, who was sitting across from him. She was currently having a conversation with Erza, who was also chosen to go. The celestial spirit mage noticed his gaze and quickly looked away, causing the shinobi to frown slightly.

She had been doing that a lot recently, ever since they had gotten back from their previous job and he just couldn't figure out the reason. Every time he tried to confront her on the subject, she would just change the subject.

"Looks like someone is a little attached to you."

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts and saw Erza smiling at him. She gestured to the person seated next to him.

Following her gaze, Naruto found Juvia happily snuggling onto his arm. She was the last person chosen to go because she insisted on going.

Naruto laughed sheepishly and scratched his blushing cheek, Juvia sure was friendly. "So how much further is the meeting place? I'm starting to get a little hungry." He asked and held his rumbling stomach.

Lucy seemed to perk up a little and grabbed her bag. "Oh, I brought some snacks if you want so-"

"Juvia brought some lunch!" Juvia chirped and handed the ninja a bento box, who happily accepted it.

'She's fast!' Lucy thought as her eye twitched in annoyance.

"We should be there pretty soon." Erza said with a chuckle. "Though I hope we can all get along with the other guilds. The Oración Seis are no laughing matter, six members or not."

Lucy shivered. "Are they really that strong?"

The S-class mage nodded. "It's like Mirajane said, they are supporting a third of the underworld for a reason."

"I can already tell this mission is gonna be awesome! I've always wondered what the other guilds and their members are like." Naruto said excitedly before the cart came to a stop.

"It seems we have arrived." Erza said and climbed out.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen of Fairy Tail... It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"W-what the..." Naruto muttered.

The moment they had entered, the room had gone dark and a spotlight shined on three boys.

"We are the delegation from Blue Pegasus... the Trimens." They declared before each striking a pose.

"Hundred night Hibiki." The one in the middle said, his eyes shining with a sparkle that bothered Naruto to no end.

"Holy night Eve." The youngest looking boy on the left said with a smile.

"Empty night Ren." The last boy on the right said while looking away in an uncaring manner.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Naruto waved and walked towards them. They were going to be working with each other, might as well try to get along with them. "So, you guys are the mages from Blue Pegasus? Nice to meet yo-"

Before Naruto could even finish his sentence the trio dashed right passed him and straight to the girls, leaving the ninja spinning on his heel. They instantly began to compliment them and asked if they needed anything.

Juvia tried to escape over to Naruto but was cut off by Eve. "Your hair is a beautiful shade of blue miss...?"

"J-Juvia... If you'll excuse me, Juvia needs to be at Naruto-Sama's side." Juvia said and tried to go again, but was quickly led somewhere else.

"Come, have a seat." Ren said and showed the girls to a couch that was conveniently laid out in the middle of the room.

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. 'So, they're those kinda guys...' He thought and walked over to the group before crossing his arms. "Oi."

The Blue Pegasus mages looked at him with uncaring eyes. "Yes? Can we help you?"

"I don't think the ladies appreciate you smothering them, mind leaving them alone?" Naruto asked darkly.

Hibiki walked forward. "Ah, you must be Fairy Tail's One Man Army, Naruto Uzumaki yes? I apologize for any misunderstandings, we were just making sure they were comfortable until the other guilds arrived."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Huh, is that so? Because all I see is a couple womanizing weirdos drooling over my friends."

The air seemed to drop in temperature.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with us?" Ren asked with narrowed eyes.

"Just to give you a fair warning, we are powerful mages." Eve said with a cold smile.

Their threats didn't even phase the shinobi. "Heh, I know how to deal with guys like you." He put his hands in seal. **"Sexy Jutsu!"**

The three mages grouped together as Naruto's form was consumed in a plume of smoke. Their eyes widened when the smoke dispersed, revealing Naruto's naked female counterpart.

Lucy face-palmed. 'As if that would work on them.'

The Trimen all flew back in a trail of blood.

"It worked!?" Lucy heard Juvia make a noise next to her. The girl was covering a nose-bleed of her own. "You too!?"

"Even as a girl… Naruto-Sama is the best!" Juvia said as her imagination went wild, and Lucy scooted a few inches away from the crazy girl.

Erza hummed in thought as she witnessed Naruto's infamous jutsu for a second time. "Hm, does that technique work on all men? Maybe I should ask Naruto to teach me later."

"Erza!?" Lucy shouted in disbelief. What was wrong with these people!?

Hibiki struggled to get back up. "W-what power! How can we defeat such a foe?"

Naruto laughed to himself and changed back before a sickeningly charming voice fill the air, getting everyone's attention.

"I think this has gone far enough, my friends."

"Eh?" Naruto whirled around to see a man standing at the top of the stair case, his face covered in darkness.

"I-Ichiya-Sama!" One of the fallen mages gasped.

Erza began to quiver in fear. Surprising the other Fairy Tail members. "Ichiya? To think that you would also be here."

The man walked down the stairs and into the light, revealing his features. "I have longed to see you Erza-San, my honey!"

Naruto jumped back, pointing at the short man with a shaking finger. "What are you!?"

Ichiya glanced at the blonde shinobi. "Oh, you can just go home boy." He said with a wave of his hand, the Trimen all bowing and bidding their farewells.

Naruto clenched his fists. "You punks..." His eyes suddenly widened when something hit his senses. 'Is that... chakra!?' He whirled around just as the doors of the building opened and two men walked in.

The first man was tall and was holding a staff in his hand. He had green scale-like arm braces on that matched what Naruto thought was a weird lizard looking hat.

The other man was also tall and dark skinned. He was wearing a white forehead protector and oval-shaped sunglasses that covered his eyes. His most distinctive trait though were the seven swords strapped to his back.

"Greetings, we are the delegation from Lamia Scale. I am Jura, and my friend here is-"

"Yo! Killer B here and I'm proud say, us mages gathered here are gonna save the day! Oh, yeah." The now named Killer B rapped, completely cutting off his now face-palming comrade.

Erza looked at the man in surprise. "You are Jura? Jura of the ten wizard saints?"

"Yes, and with our arrival, we now only need to wait for the delegation from Cait Shelter." He then looked over to Naruto. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki-Dono. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." When he noticed Naruto sending him a questioning look, he chuckled. "Excuse me, I've heard a lot about you from one of our members. You know of Leon-Dono, do you not?"

Realization dawned on Naruto's face, and he grinned. "So Leon joined a guild after all, huh? Good for him!"

Jura nodded. "He claims you are his goal, the person in this world that he must surpass no matter what."

Naruto sweatdropped. "Is that so…" Oh well, at least his words had gotten through to the guy. He'd have to tell Gray when they got back to the guild.

While the rest of the group talked, Naruto kept looking at Killer B. The man noticed his stare and raised an eyebrow. "What's up with the stare, not that I care."

Naruto walked over to the man, who was looking at him with a blank expression. "That headband… You're from the Elemental Nations, aren't you? How did you get here? Do you know a way back?"

Bee put his hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your question! Wait until we're done with this dark guild session!"

Naruto was about to press on when a little girl with blue hair walk in the entrance. She ran in and tripped on the rug, causing everyone to flinch when she landed flat on her face.

"Owwie..." The girl stood up and dusted herself off before speaking. "Um, I'm from Cait Shelter. My name is Wendy, pleased to be working with you all!" She said with a formal bow.

'A little girl?' Naruto thought and looked at everyone else. They seemed to be having the same thoughts.

Jura nodded and faced the group. "Now that everyone is here, let us begin."

Naruto sweatdropped. 'He just gonna continue?' Shaking his head, the ninja walked over to Wendy and knelt to her eye level. "Nice to me you Wendy-Chan, did you come all this way by yourself?"

"Alone? I think not!" A white cat wearing a dress called out from the entrance.

"Charla, you followed me here!?" Wendy asked.

"But of course, I'd be worried sick if you went by yourself."

"Another talking cat? Just like Happy." Naruto thought aloud.

Charla looked at the whiskered teen and pointed at him. "You better keep your paws away from Wendy, you beast!"

Naruto face faulted. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get along with this cat… and a beast? Seriously?

"C-Charla, be nice! That's Naruto Uzumaki from Fairy Tail!" Wendy stammered.

The feline just huffed and looked away.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "You know me?"

Wendy's face reddened a little. "Y-yes, I like to read the weekly Sorcerer's magazine at my guild and it talked about how you beat the mighty Laxus." Her face turned even more red when she looked at Lucy and Juvia. "I-it also talks about-mmph!"

Faster than anyone thought possible, Lucy seemed to appear out of thin air and covered Wendy's mouth. 'Shh! He doesn't know and doesn't need to know!' The celestial spirit mage whispered in an almost pleading manner. If Naruto were to find out about those rumors in the magazine, she would die from embarrassment!

Seeing the poor girl nod in acknowledgment, Lucy let her go. "Sorry, it's not true but it's just really embarrassing..." She admitted.

"I-it's okay..." Wendy said while playing with her fingers.

"Uh, Lucy?" Naruto asked while giving her a strange look. "What was that all about?"

Lucy stood up and laughed nervously. "Nothing! Everything's fine!" She began to sweat when he began to give her a suspicious look.

Ichiya took the opportunity to get everyone's attention. "If I may... I shall explain our strategy... But first I must visit the perfume of the laboratory!" He said then scurried off, causing everyone to sweat-drop.

* * *

Once Ichiya returned from the restroom, he proceeded to explain the plan to everyone. Their goal was to get all six members of the Oración Seis into their temporary base and eliminate them with the Blue Pegasus magical bomber dubbed "The Christina" before they can get their hands on the powerful magic Nirvana.

"But wouldn't that kill them?" Naruto said with a frown, remembering Fairy Tail's no kill policy. Though he didn't know if the other guild had the same rule.

Jura nodded grimly. "If that is what needs to be done, our enemy will think no lighter."

"Time to put the plan into motion, Ima soar through the sky like I'm swimming in the ocean! Alright~!" Killer B shouted and pointed straight up, getting strange looks from the others.

The wizard saint rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Bee-Dono, could you take this matter a little more seriously?"

Ichiya did a little spin and pointed to the doors. "Men, could you show our comrades to the Christina?"

"Yes, aniki! Right this way." The Trimen said in unison and proceeded to lead the others out of the building.

Naruto noticed his fellow guild members were waiting for him. "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up in a second."

"Do you have business with them?" Erza asked, gesturing to the three men that were left in the room.

Jura and Ichiya seemed to be conversing with one another while Killer B was... taking notes?

"Yeah, there's something I want to confirm." Naruto explained and looked at the rapping swordsman.

Erza nodded and dragged the other two with her, trusting Naruto would explain it to them later.

Lucy looked back with an unsure look on her face, but was reassured by the ninja's grin. She then dragged a whining Juvia towards the door. "Come on, that means you too."

"No~ Juvia needs to stay at Naruto-Sama's side!"

Naruto walked over to Killer B as soon as they left, it was time to get some answers.

The man looked up from his little notebook and jumped up. "Yo! Ready for some answers cause I'm about to tell~ This info ima say is gonna ring a bell!" He pointed at Naruto's headband. "By the looks of that symbol, you're from Konohagakure. I can also tell you're the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "So you are from the Elemental Nations! Wait, how did you know I have the Kyuubi sealed in me?"

B pointed to the tattoo on his shoulder. "Because the Eight-Tails resides from inside my hide, it's what we jinchuuriki need to survive!"

"Eh!? You have a Tailed Beast in you too!? How did you get here? Do you know a way back?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I know answers are your goal, but let's start out slow. I came to this world cause of an octopus scroll."

An octopus scroll? Naruto was brought here because of that strange fox scroll, this couldn't be a coincidence. "We're the same then, I take it your also stuck here then?" When his fellow ninja nodded, Naruto frowned, he was really hoping this guy knew something.

Killer B put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Don't be sad, don't be gloom. We have to take care of that dude with the perfume!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes on Ichiya. "So, you noticed to?"

"Aw yeah~."

Jura and Ichiya noticed the ninja looking at them.

"We should catch up to the others, they must be waiting, shall we?" Jura said and began walking towards the exit.

Ichiya was about to follow but was cut off by Naruto. "Sorry mister phony, but you're not going anywhere!" Naruto said and punched the orange haired man in the face, implanting him into one of the walls.

"Naruto-Dono, what is the meaning of this!?" Jura yelled out but stopped when B put an arm in front of him. "Bee-Dono?"

"Ouchie..."

"It looks like we were found out."

'Ichiya' burst into a cloud of smoke and turned into two little blue creatures that looked like floating dolls.

"Oh, you saw through my spirit's disguise? That's too bad, I was going to take out the wizard saint but you two never left." A feminine voice said from the other side of the room.

It was a woman with short white hair wearing a revealing white feathery dress. "If you're wondering about that filthy old man, my little spirit here copied him. Now I know all about your little plan."

"That's Angel, one of the members of Oración Seis." Jura explained to his two comrades.

'A Celestial Spirit mage, that's just like Lucy.' Naruto thought and pointed at the woman. "So, what are you gonna do now? It's one on three, if you give up now you won't get hurt."

Angel laughed sweetly. "Silly boy, who said I came alone?"

As if to go along with her question, an explosion shook the building.

 **BOOM!**

"What was that?"

The dark mage giggled as her features darkened. "It seems our groups are having a little fun."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Crap, the others!" He ran towards the front doors. "You guys take care of her, I'm gonna go see if they're alright!"

The Lamia Scale members both nodded and faced their enemy.

"Let's finish this quickly, B-Dono." Jura said and flared his magical power.

"Alright! It's time for Killer Bee-Sama to face some action! Weeeeeee!"

* * *

Everything around Lucy was in chaos, she could hardly even tell what was going on. One moment they were watching the Magical bomber flying in the air, and then it exploded and crashed into the ground.

Before anyone could even digest what had happened, five members of the Oración Seis appeared out of nowhere and were picking them off one by one.

"Gah!"

Lucy gasped as she watched Erza fall after being bitten by a giant purple snake. "Erza!"

"Kyah!" Juvia was also taken down by a wave of green magic.

"Juvia!"

Racer, the Oración Seis member with crazy speed, zoomed passed the celestial spirit mage and knocked her down onto the ground.

Struggling to get up, Lucy shivered as the atmosphere around her began to waver. She looked around and noticed they had all been defeated. "They're too powerful!"

Brain, the leader of the Oración Seis, looked down on all the fallen mages. "Be gone, scum. I have no need for you." The man raised his skull staff and green magic began to swirl around it.

The group closed their eyes as the man was about to fire his attack, but nothing happened and the air shifted back to normal.

"Wendy." Brain said with a shocked face while looking at the little girl.

She was hiding behind a boulder with Charla and was shivering in fear. "Eh?"

"What's wrong Brain, why'd you stop the spell?" One the other dark mages questioned.

The man smirked. "That is Wendy, the Sky Sorceress. Looks like I stumbled on someone valuable." Brain raised a hand and a wave of green mist grappled onto Wendy and pulled her towards him.

"Wendy!" Charla shrieked and tried to grab a hold of the girl, but their hands just couldn't reach.

The Oración Seis member name Hoteye said something about money before using his magic to shift the ground from underneath them, causing everyone to tumble around.

The green fog-like magic returned to Brain's staff as soon as Wendy was in his possession. "I no longer have any business with you trash, be gone!" He yelled and the spell was shot into the air and was hurdling towards them.

"Get down!"

Lucy held her head down as the ground began to shake from the intensity of the attack. 'Naruto!'

A loud screeching noise was heard and a white and blue shuriken shaped object flew straight into Brain's technique. Upon contact, the Rasenshuriken exploded, the explosion began to grow and continued to do so.

Lucy watched in awe as the two attacks fought for domination until she felt a pair of arms grab her. She saw everyone being picked up by red and orange blurs before Her vision blurred. When it returned, she was relieved to see Naruto looking at her with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I think so…" Her relief was short lived when she remembered one of their comrades had been kidnapped. "Naruto, they got Wendy!"

"Eh!?" Naruto looked at all the people he and his shadow clones had brought. The moment he arrived, Naruto had seen that everyone had been defeated and were about to be finished off by an attack from that guy with the markings on his face. But after counting faces, Wendy was indeed nowhere to be found.

Quickly running back, Naruto clenched his fists when he found that the Oración Seis were long gone. "Damn it..."

After walking back to the group, he saw that everyone was beginning to get up. "They got away..."

"Juvia is sorry Naruto-Sama... Juvia couldn't do a thing..." The blue haired girl said sadly.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, I should have been with you guys from start."

"Erza!"

Everyone's attention turned to Lucy trying to help Erza who was holding her arm in pain.

"What's wrong with Erza?" Naruto asked and knelt next to his partner, looking over the redhead in concern.

"She was bitten by the enemy's snake."

'Poison huh?' He thought with a frown. "Is anyone here a healer?"

"Wendy can help her." Charla said and flew over to Naruto.

The shinobi raised an eyebrow. "You have wings? Just like Happy."

The cat huffed. "I don't know who this Happy is but this magic is called Aera. We'll need to get Wendy back if you want to save Erza."

"It seems we were too late."

The group looked to see Jura and Killer Bee walking towards them.

"Men, I have arrived. Bathe in my perfume of pain relief." Ichiya appeared and swooped in while opening a capsule.

Upon smelling the magical fumes, those that were injured felt the pain wash away.

"So, we have a new plan then?" Jura asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Erza's down and Wendy is the only one that can help her. Did you guys defeat that Angel lady?"

The wizard saint lowered his head in shame. "I apologize, she escaped."

"Someone zoomed in at the speed of sound, picked up the girl and then split like a startled hound!" Killer Bee explained with a rap. Truth be told, he was ashamed of this failure as well.

The orange ninja felt someone grab his leg. "I... am still gonna fight..." Erza said and tried to get back up but was gently pushed back down by Naruto.

"No, you're not. Just rest up while we go and get Wendy-Chan back." He said gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, we'll get her to heal you in no time!"

Erza reluctantly lay back down, shivering from the pain. If Naruto said he would get Wendy back, then she would trust him. After all, she trusted the boy with her life.

Standing back up, Naruto put his fist out. "Okay, so our goal is to find the enemy's base and get Wendy-Chan back and save Erza!"

Everyone in the group met his fist with their own and cheered. "Yeah!"

* * *

Having worked out a new strategy, the guilds split up to look for the Oración Seis' base of operations.

Jura and Killer Bee were one group while Ichiya, Ren, and Eve were another. Naruto, Juvia, and Charla were the last group while Lucy and Hibiki had stayed behind to look after Erza.

"So Wendy-Chan is a Sky Dragon Slayer huh? If Natsu eats fire, and Gajeel eats iron, does that mean she eats air?" Naruto asked Charla as they ran through the forest.

"Yes." The cat answered.

Naruto shivered at the thought of eating an element to regain power. Dragon slayers really were weird.

"Juvia wonders if there are any water dragon slayers, and if they eat water." Juvia said and giggled.

The blonde laughed. "That'd be pretty weird, I wonder if we'll ever meet someone like that."

Charla shook her head. "Honestly, you Fairy Tail mages are so carefree."

"Whoa... what's up with those trees?" Some of the plant life around them were colored a pitch black, as though they were shrouded in darkness.

Naruto walked over to one of the darkened timbers and put a hand on it. "This is so weird... I don't feel anything but darkness in these things. Is this because of that Nirvana thing?"

Juvia tugged his sleeve to get his attention. "Juvia wonders... Why hasn't Naruto-Sama used Sage Mode to find Wendy-San?" She knew that when Naruto was in sage mode, he could locate people through nature within a decent distance.

Naruto crossed his arms and sighed. "I tried that earlier, but there's something messing with my senses here." While he could go into sage mode, his range of sensing was cut short. It was almost like something was blocking him out.

"That's one of the rumored effects of Nirvana, Zatou-Nii-San."

"Because of its tremendous magic, the ground goes on dying, Gatou-Nii-San."

Naruto and Juvia spun around and got into defensive positions. There was two monkey-like men walking towards them.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and looked around. "Be careful, we're surrounded." More people walked out into the open as he spoke.

"We are Oración Seis affiliated, Naked Mummy." The one named Gatou declared.

"A dark guild huh?" Naruto cracked his knuckles. "And you work for the guys we're after. Why don't you tell us where their base is?"

One of the Naked Mummy goons laughed. "Oh yeah? Big talk coming from two kids and a cat!"

"Do not mock Naruto-Sama, those who do will be punished." Juvia said darkly as water began to swarm around her form.

"What are you fools thinking!? We're clearly outnumbered! We should run away when we get the chance!" Charla yelled at the two Fairy Tail members.

Naruto looked at the white cat for a second before grinning. "Outnumbered?" He laughed as the bushes around the enemies rustled and a mob of shadow clones began to pour out and attack the unsuspecting foes.

Charla was speechless as more and more clones continued to come out. 'When did he make all these clones!?' She thought and looked up at the cackling blonde.

"Wah! So many Naruto-Samas!" Juvia squealed excitedly like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"Ha! Who's outnumbered now!?" Naruto laughed and turned to the stunned little cat. "Sorry, but this is just how mages from Fairy Tail do things." With that said, he charged into the ongoing battle.

* * *

Lucy sat in the grass next to where Erza lay, holding the girl's hand gently. "Hang in there Erza, Naruto and the others are going to bring Wendy back for sure."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Hibiki asked as he typed away at his archive magic.

"I couldn't just leave Erza by herself. Besides, I'm not all that good at fighting. Naruto and Juvia are more suited for rescuing Wendy." For some reason, Lucy felt a stinging sensation in her chest. Why did the thought of Naruto and Juvia being alone annoy her so much?

"You seem to have a lot of faith in that Naruto guy, he must be your boyfriend. Ah, I'm jealous..." Hibiki said dramatically.

Lucy flushed a bright red. "N-no! He's not- We're not- Are you referring to all those rumors? None of those are true!" She really hated that stupid magazine right now.

The Blue Pegasus member laughed. "My apologies, I was only teasing."

"Well why aren't you out there with your guild?" Lucy asked with a pout.

"I can't just leave two ladies alone in the woods." He replied. "My magic allows me to gain information about this place. I can also contact the others should we need to. Wouldn't want any of them to get lost on the way back, now would we?"

* * *

Having defeated the Naked Mummy members with close to no trouble, Naruto, Juvia, and Charla found themselves staring at the ruins to ancient village. They were standing on a cliff just above it.

"So, this is their base? If those apes lied to Naruto-Sama..." Juvia heatedly said and began to flare out killer intent, spooking Charla.

'This woman is crazy!' The cat thought as Naruto walked towards the edge. "What are you doing? That has to be a one-hundred-foot drop at least!"

"Don't worry, I'll just walk down." The shinobi casually said and jumped.

"You fool! What are you-" Charla activated her wings and was about to save him, but stopped when she found the blonde sticking to the rocky wall like a magnet on a refrigerator. "…What?" This guy was full of surprises.

"See? I told you, now let's go get Wendy-Chan." Naruto laughed and looked back up. "Hey Juvia, you stay up here and keep a lookout. I'll call you if things get crazy."

"Yes Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said faithfully.

Running down to the bottom of the cliff, Naruto hopped onto the ground without a sound before scanning the area. From what he could tell, the place was completely deserted.

"They're probably in that cave." Charla pointed out while flying right next to him.

Naruto nodded and crept along the wall towards the entrance of the den. Peering through, he had to hold back a gasp at what he saw. 'That guy's still alive!?'

A fully revived Jellal stood in front of Brain and seemed to be completely fine, aside the fact he was only wearing tattered pants. He also took note that the guy named Racer was leaning against a boulder across from them and the person he thought he remembered was named Midnight was sleeping on a floating carpet.

When she found Wendy, Charla was about to rush in when Naruto stopped her and covered her mouth before she could shout. "Hold on a second!" The blonde hissed as the cat struggled in his grasp. "I have a plan." He said and grinned, his eyes now a crimson color.

* * *

Wendy sniffled to herself as the leader of the Oración Seis spoke to Jellal, though he didn't seem to be very responsive. 'Was it a mistake to revive Jellal? I remember the rumors of all the bad things people say he did...' She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone shouted from the entrance.

"Hey!"

Everyone looked to the entrance and found Naruto pointing at them with a grin etched across his face. "I'm here to bring back Wendy-Chan!" He yelled and threw a shuriken at Brain, who just stepped out of the way. The throwing star embedded itself in the wall near Wendy, causing the girl to flinch. "Ah! Sorry, my bad Wendy-Chan!"

"Racer, take care of this fool." Brain ordered and the speed man nodded before taking off in a flash.

"Oh crap!" Naruto turned around and dashed off into the deserted village with Racer hot on his trail.

Brain turned his attention back to the ex-council member. "So, will you help us in our search for Nirvana?" His eyes widened when Jellal suddenly put his hand out and shattered the ground underneath him with magic. "Grahhh!" Brain yelled as he fell, some rocks falling on top of him.

Wendy watched with tearful eyes as Jellal turned and left the cave, leaving her alone in the room with the sleeping mage on the floating carpet. She heard a popping noise from behind her and turned around to find Charla covered in a shroud of smoke.

"Wendy!" The cat shouted and latched onto the more than shocked girl.

"Charla!? How did you get here?"

The feline let out a little snarl. "That beast, suddenly grabbing me and turning me into a weapon like that! How dare he!"

Wendy looked over to the wall where the shuriken Naruto threw had ended up to find that it was no longer there. "How did he do that?"

"We'll ask him later, are you okay? Did you use your healing magic? How could you be so foolish as to use it so recklessly like that!?" Charla scolded before gasping when Wendy collapsed from exhaustion. "Wendy!"

* * *

"Juvia, heads up!" Naruto shouted up to the girl as he sprinted up the rock wall.

"Naruto-Sa-Kyah!" The moment Juvia looked over the edge, two blurs burst up and into the air.

Naruto and Racer landed in front of one another.

"You're pretty fast." The ninja complemented and pulled out a kunai.

The Oración Seis member clenched his teeth. "Don't mock me! I'm the fastest there is! How can you keep up with me!?" Even if he wasn't using his maximum slowing power, this guy was keeping up with him. And what was with those cross-shaped eyes?

"I've fought people way faster than you." Naruto mocked, smirking when the man roared in anger. The mage charged at him again with twice the amount of speed than before.

Juvia could barely even see the two as the blurs danced around the clearing. She noticed something in the corner of her eye and looked up to find Charla carrying an unconscious Wendy.

The blurs stopped in their tracks and both looked up at the flying cat.

"You think I'd just let you get away!?" Racer growled and zoomed into the air to knock the them out of the air, but he was intercepted by Naruto at the last second. "You again!?"

"Juvia! Go and make sure they get to Erza safely! I'll catch up with you as soon as I'm finish things up here!" Naruto called out as he landed back on the ground.

Juvia nodded and ran into the forest.

Racer began to quiver with anger. "Not only can you keep up with me... but you stopped me in my tracks. Fine, I'll kill you first!"

'Here he comes...' Naruto thought as he suddenly sensed Racer behind him. "Wha-" The blonde barely had time to bring his kunai up and block the switchblade aimed for his throat. 'He's even faster than before! It's a good thing I have better control of this new Sage Mode now!'

Naruto jumped back and created a group of Shadow Clones. Together, they surrounded the speed demon in a perfect circle.

"Numbers won't help you..." Racer started and lifted a hand. "Dead Grand Prix, begin!"

The Narutos looked at the guy in confusion as they started to hear a deep rumbling. The noise kept getting louder and louder until a bunch of motorcycles burst out of the forest.

Racer mounted a passing bike as the others crashed into the mass of clones, dispelling them the moment they were hit. "How do you like my motor show from hell?"

Naruto avoided bike after bike to keep himself from being run over. "Ah! These things are getting annoying!" The enraged shinobi plowed a sage chakra infused punch into the ground, causing a large explosion of rocks and grass. All of the bikes around the blonde were destroyed in process and forced Racer to jump off his own motorcycle because of the wide range blast.

As the dust settled, the two fighters had a standoff. "It seems you're not as pathetic as the rest of those mages. I'll show you the true meaning of speed!" Racer declared and the two became a pair of blurs once more.

'This guy is really starting to get on my nerves!' Naruto thought as their fight went into the forest. This was starting to take too long, he really needed to find out this guy's weakness.

Racer eventually found an opening and smirked as his knife finally met flesh. "Hah! I told you I was the fastest!"

 **Poof!**

"What!?"

Just as he thought he stabbed his opponent, Naruto suddenly exploded into smoke and a log took his place. He looked around furiously, trying to find his sneaky opponent. "Come out and let me kill you!"

"Up here stupid!"

Racer looked up and his sunglasses almost fell off when he saw a horde of blondes falling from the sky, each one holding a glowing blue sphere in their hands. 'My prayer...' He thought as the clones descended upon him, his body flinging around like a rag-doll from each little blue explosion.

Racer's flight was stopped abruptly when he crashed into a tree and slid down to ground.

'Why didn't he use his speed to get away?' Naruto thought as he walked over to the defeated Oración Seis member and began tie him up to the tree with ninja-wire. He was just going to use those clones as a distraction and then sneak up on the guy. "I guess this works too." He shrugged and ran off to catch up with the others.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I have no excuses!

Killer Bee makes his appearance! Before anyone asks, yes, he joined Lamia Scale. I'll get into that more later. I really, really, really suck at making up raps. So, don't be surprised when the dialogue for him sucks. :p

So anyways, what did you think? Did I do good? Bad? If you have any questions review or PM me to let me know.

Okay, I'm done. I'll see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!


	14. Dream Team

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 3/15/2017**

* * *

Juvia trekked through the forest with a still unconscious Wendy on her back. Charla, having run out of magical power, was following right behind her.

"Ah, why must Juvia be apart from Naruto-Sama?" Juvia peered back at the sleeping girl on her shoulders and sighed. "Though it can be helped, Erza-San is in trouble and Naruto-Sama asked for Juvia's help." She blinked in realization, a blush spreading across her suddenly happy face. "Naruto-Sama needed Juvia!"

Charla looked at the squealing woman with a slightly irritated look. 'What is with this woman!? She's been talking to herself this whole time!'

'Hello, Juvia-San? This is Hibiki of Blue Pegasus, can you hear me?' Hibiki's voice called to the two of them.

"Hibiki-San?" The water mage stopped walking and looked up, as if to find the person in question up there.

'Yes, I'm speaking directly into your head through my magic. One of the Oración Seis members has really good hearing so we can't be too cautious.' Hibiki explained before asking. 'Is Naruto-Kun not with you?'

"We have Wendy with use here. As for the beast, he is currently fighting a member of the Oración Seis." Charla

'That's great! From what Lucy-San has told me, I'm sure Naruto-Kun will be fine. I'm going to upload a map to guide you to our location. Please, move quickly.'

"Eh?" Juvia tilted her head in confusion before her eyes went wide. "Oh! Juvia knows where to go now!"

* * *

 **Sometime Later...**

Lucy looked down at Erza as she and Hibiki waited patiently for the others to bring Wendy, and she couldn't help but frown.

"Don't worry, they should be here any second now." Hibiki consoled, getting a nod from the blonde.

They were both slightly startled when the bushes behind them began to rustle. The two conscious mages anxiously gazed at green when they saw blue. They sighed in relief as Juvia walked into the clearing with Charla not far off behind.

"Juvia! Charla! You made guys it!" Lucy said as her eyes fell on the unconscious dragon slayer. "Is she okay?"

"Yes, it has been a lot for the poor girl." Charla answered as Juvia gently placed Wendy on the ground.

Hibiki walked over them. "Now that Wendy-San is here, she should be able to cure Erza-San yes?"

"But first we have to wake her up." Lucy said and gently shook the little girl. "Wendy? Please wake up. Erza's in trouble and you're the only one who can save her." When nothing happened, Lucy sighed and shook her head. "She's out cold."

"Let Juvia have a try." Juvia said and formed a ball of water and dropped it on top of Wendy, soaking Lucy in the process.

"Hey! You didn't have to splash me too!" The blonde fumed.

The water mage turned and giggled. "Oops, Juvia's hand slipped..."

Their little feud was cut short when Wendy coughed and woke up. "Huh? Wha-"

"Thank goodness you're awake!" Lucy beamed, but then raised an eyebrow when Wendy suddenly backed away and started crying.

"I-I'm sorry!" She sputtered and everyone looked at each other questioningly. "I... had no choice..."

"Wendy..." Charla looked at her friend worriedly before putting a paw on her shoulder. "We'll worry about that later, first you need to help Erza, she's been poisoned."

Lucy and Juvia both bowed. "Please."

Wendy sniffled and looked over to the fallen red-head, and could tell just by looking how bad the knight's condition was. "O-okay... I'll do it!" She said with a newly determined look. The sky dragon slayer moved over to Erza and began to focus. She placed her hands on the knight's body and her palms began to glow a bright blue.

The others watched intently as the little girl worked. Their hearts nearly skipped a beat when her hands stopped glowing and she turned around. With a tired sigh, Wendy eased their worried thoughts with a smile. "All of the poison in Erza-San's body is gone, she should be fine now."

The two Fairy Tail mages cheered and hugged each other, before Juvia realized just what she was doing

and pointed an accusing finger at the blonde. "Rival in love!"

Lucy sweat-dropped before turning to Wendy and bowing. "Thank you, Wendy."

Hibiki smiled before turning serious. "Now all we have to do is wait for Erza-San to wake up. Then we'll go on our counter attack against the Oración Seis.

Lucy pumped a fist. "Yeah! It's payback time!"

Juvia raised a hand. "Juvia thinks we should find Naruto-Sama and the others."

"Can you use your magic to find the others?" Lucy asked.

Hibiki shrugged and shook his head. "I would but I can't seem to get a hold of the others, something seems to be blocking my connection. I'm going to take a wild guess that it's the work of Nirvana."

Lucy hummed before turning over to Wendy. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What were you apologizing for earlier?"

The little blue haired girl began to shiver. "I healed him... I know he did all of those bad things, but I owed him."

The celestial spirit mage sent her a questioning expression. "Who was it?"

Wendy seemed a little reluctant at first, but spoke. "...Jellal."

Everyone in the little group was taken aback by the revelation. But before they could question the girl further, a flash of light consumed the entire forest and blinded them.

* * *

'I hope everyone's doing okay.' Naruto thought to himself as he jumped from tree to tree. He wondered if Juvia and Charla had gotten Wendy to Erza by now.

"Yo, Nine-Tails!" Killer Bee greeted as he jumped up next to his fellow ninja.

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Bee-Ossan? Where'd you come from?"

"The voice in my head told me where to go~. Jumping tree to tree it lead me to you, Naruto~!" He rapped.

'What is with this guy?' Naruto thought with a sweat-drop. "Wait, what voice? You mean you're Tailed Beast?"

Before the rapper could answer, a pillar of dark colored light suddenly lit up the forest, causing the two ninja to stop in their tracks.

"What the heck is that!?" Naruto yelled and pointed the strange phenomenon.

"That pillar of light is no doubt Nirvana~! We better check it out even if you don't wanna~! Wheeeee!" Bee rapped before jumping off.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Naruto called out and chased after the man. He felt something pulling at the back of his mind, but decided to ignore it for now. Stopping the Oración Seis was his top priority right now, the fox could wait.

* * *

"I can't believe this is happening right now!" Lucy fumed as she ran through the forest towards the black pillar of light. "Just as things were starting to get better!"

Hibiki ran up next to her. "For now, we need to head towards that light. The others are likely to go there to investigate." He was currently carrying an unconscious Wendy on his back.

As soon as that light appeared, the little dragon slayer began to freak out and Hibiki knocked her out again. The group was surprised at first, especially Charla who had tried to scratch the boy's eyes out, until he explained what Nirvana actually was.

To make matters worse, Erza had apparently woken up just as Wendy mentioned Jellal and took off without them noticing.

"And find Naruto-Sama!" Juvia added.

Lucy nodded. They really needed to regroup with their strongest member if they wanted to stand a chance against the remaining Oración Seis members.

"Ah! That stupid rapper really pisses me off! Where'd he go!?"

The group stopped just as Naruto came into view. "Naruto?"

The whiskered teen looked over to them and smiled. "Oh! There you are!" He shouted and hopped down from a the tree he was standing on. "So you got Wendy-Chan to Erza huh? Good job Juvia!" He said and gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Naruto-Sama's praise!" Juvia sighed dreamily.

Charla huffed. "Of course we did. But she's tired now so no more healing magic."

"You sure are popular, Naruto-Kun." Hibiki said as he rested Wendy against a tree.

Lucy looked at her fellow blonde. "Erza's okay now thanks to Wendy, but she ran off once she heard Jellal was alive."

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Dang, she found out? Then we outta hurry and find her before that crazy knight does something stupid. But first..."

Lucy was taken by surprise when the ninja suddenly threw a kunai straight at her, but was saved by Hibiki who tackled her before the sharp object pierced her flesh.

"What are you playing at you beast!?" Charla demanded.

"Charla: Can fly. Slightly irritating. Most likely can't fight. Information retrieval successful." Naruto said in a monotone voice.

"What was that!?" The cat shouted angrily.

"Naruto, you haven't fallen to the darkness, have you?" Lucy said as she and Hibiki got up.

"Lucy. Reliable. Has random mood swings. Stronger than she thinks she is. Celestial Spirit mage. Oh, that's interesting."

A tick mark appeared on Lucy's forehead. "Who has random mood swings!?" She fumed but stopped when Juvia put an arm out in front of her. "That is not Naruto-Sama. Who are you impostor?"

"Juvia. A weird and friendly person. Treasures her friends. Uses water magic. Can't be hurt by physical attacks… This one might be troublesome."

"Naruto-Sama is acting strange." Juvia said and began to walk towards the shinobi, but was stopped by Hibiki.

"Wait, something's not right here."

Lucy pulled out one of her golden keys. "If you're not going to talk, then we'll make you talk! **Open! Gate of the archer! Sagittarius!** " A magic circle appeared at the tip of the key and in a flash of light, Sagittarius appeared in his trademark salute pose. There was obviously something wrong with Naruto, because she knew he would never attack one of his friends like that.

"You called, moshi moshi?"

Whether he was under the effects of Nirvana or not, they had to restrain him.

The fake Naruto smirked and in a puff of smoke, he transformed into Lucy.

"Eh!? Me!?" Lucy balked. Why would Naruto transformed into her all of a sudden?

"That is not Naruto-Sama! Now that they are Lucy, Juvia doesn't have to hesitate!" Juvia declared and with the swipe of a hand, a slash of water was sent flying towards the doppelganger.

'Seriously?' The real Lucy thought with a sweat-dropped. But she noticed it as well, the person hadn't used the hand sign Naruto always did when he used his transformation technique. Which meant the person in front of them was the enemy.

The faker rolled out of harm's way and smiled. "Sagittarius, if you would."

"Gah!" Hibiki cried out in pain when an arrow lodged itself into his back.

"Lucy, what are you doing!?" Juvia shouted at the girl.

Lucy shook her head. "I-it wasn't me! Sagittarius!?"

The spirit seemed to be fighting with himself. "I-It was not my own intention! I am not...!"

Juvia didn't waste any more time and fired another barrage of water projectiles at the enemy.

'They must be controlling my spirits.' Lucy thought before turning to Charla. "Charla! Get Wendy out of here! We'll regroup later!" The white cat nodded and flew off with the slumbering dragon slayer. Lucy turned back and watched the ongoing battle between Juvia and the fake.

"Well well, now that Nirvana has been found, I'll have to finish things up as soon as possible."

Juvia stopped fighting and narrowed her eyes as a white-haired woman walked into view. "An Oración Seis member."

"Hello Juvia-Chan, Lucy-Chan. Say hello to Angel-Chan!" The now named Angel greeted. "That's enough Gemi, Mini."

The fake Lucy exploded in puff of smoke and revealed to be two little doll-like creatures, and Sagittarius was sent back to the spirit world.

"Pi~ri!" They both said in unison.

"These little cuties are Gemi and Mini." Angel explained. "They're twin stellar spirits named Gemini, I'm a celestial spirit mage as well."

Lucy surveyed the area, making mental notes on their advantages and disadvantages. They were next to a river so she could summon Aquarius if need be, Hibiki was down for the count thanks to that arrow in his back. She was glad Juvia was here, right now they outnumbered the enemy two to one. "Juvia." Lucy called out, getting the blue haired girl's attention. "Let's go!" She shouted and lunged for the river with Aquarius' key outstretched.

"Right! **Water Slicer!** " Juvia shouted knowingly and shot out her water blade attack and forced Angel to dodge, giving Lucy the time she needed to summon her spirit.

" **Open! Gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!"**

As the mermaid came into existence, Angel's facial expression never changed and she too pulled out a golden key.

"Go get her Aquarius! You can take me out too!" Lucy shouted.

"Let's go, Aquarius-San!" Juvia said and smiled to her fellow water user, who smiled back. The two of them had hit it off rather well when they first met and became friends almost instantly. They got along so well that it slightly annoyed Lucy.

"Yeah! Let's beat the hell out of them!"

" **Open! Gate of the scorpion! Scorpio!"** Angel shouted, stopping Aquarius right in her tracks.

After the magic circle appeared, a tan man with red and white hair came into existence. "We are! Yeah!"

…

"Scorpio~!" Aquarius chimed and jumped into the spirit's arms, much to Lucy and Juvia's surprise.

"Are we doing fine, Aquarius?" Scorpio asked, striking a cool pose.

"I was... so lonely!" Aquarius cooed.

"I-is he...!?" Lucy stammered.

"My boyfriend!" Aquarius answered bashfully.

Despite being in the middle of a battle, Juvia bowed politely. "Nice to meet you, Scorpio-San."

"We are pleased to meet ya Juvia! Oh, and owner of Aquarius." Scorpio said before wrapping an arm around his girlfriend. "I hope we aren't going to mind if the two of us leave now, are we, Angel?"

The Oración Seis member shrugged and shook her head. "Feel free."

"W-wait! Aquarius!" Lucy called out after the spirit, but it was too late.

"Wait, Lucy." Juvia said with a serious tone, stopping the blonde in her tracks. "We can manage without Aquarius-San, we are Fairy Tail mages, aren't we?"

Lucy stared at the girl for a second before righting herself with a determined look. "Right! Thanks Juvia!" With that, the two charged towards their now laughing enemy.

Angel snorted a laugh. "'We are Fairy Tail mages?' What a joke! How do you expect to defeat me when one of you is a Celestial spirit mage that doesn't even know the relationships between the spirits, and the other is a crazy and delusional woman?"

"Juvia is NOT delusional!" The blue haired girl denied steamily.

'She didn't deny the crazy part…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop before pulling out Leo's key. **"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loki!"**

"Your prince has arrived." Leo said while coming out of the magic circle.

Gemini turned into Juvia and met the water mage head on, the two now locked in a battle of the liquid element. Water splashed everywhere as they canceled out each other's spells.

"Were you not listening when I said it was important to know the relationships between the spirits?" Angel taunted as she pulled out another gold key, one all to familiar to the lion spirit. **"Open! Gate of the ram! Aries!"**

Lucy and Leo both watched in horror as the ram spirit appeared before them.

"I'm so sorry, Leo..." Aries mumbled.

"What are you doing with Karen's spirit!?" Lucy demanded.

Angel pat Aries' head rather roughly and chuckled nonchalantly. "Because I'm the one who killed her, she was just the spoils of war. Nothing more, nothing less."

"This shouldn't be the way you two finally meet after all this time. **Close** -" Lucy's spell was stopped when Loki grabbed her hand.

"Don't look down on me, Lucy. I'm not gonna let you lose that determination of yours just because of me. A stellar spirit must always fight for their master. For that is..." Leo started and lunged forward to attack.

"Our pride!" He and Aries both yelled as they began their fight.

"Oh? They're actually going to fight? This should be quite entertaining." Angel mused.

Juvia and Gemini continued to fight as they dodged each other's attacks. 'This isn't getting anywhere... Juvia can't be defeated by water... huh?' While Juvia was trying to think up a battle plan, Gemini reverted back to their original form and disappeared. "Wha-"

There was a loud buzzing sound that was followed by two screams and Juvia turned to find that both Lucy's spirit along with Angel's spirit had been shot by a strange mechanical canon-like thing.

'She attacked her own spirit...!?' Lucy thought in disbelief as the two stellar spirits faded away.

"Lucy!" Juvia called out, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Ahahah! That was a perfect shot!" Angel laughed maniacally. "Looks like you won't be able to use your big, strong Leo for a while!"

Lucy could believe what had just happened. She continued to just sit there as Juvia called out to her. "...Unbelievable..."

Angel stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow. "What's not to believe? It's not like the spirits die or anything."

"But they still feel pain!" Lucy snapped back. "They still have feelings... And you dare call yourself a Celestial spirit mage!?" Lucy pulled out another golden key. **"Open! Gate of the golden bull! Taurus!"**

"Moooo!" Taurus roared and charged forward.

"Gemini." Angel said as Gemini appeared by her side and shifted into Lucy again, before striking a sexy pose.

"Moohoo~!" The Minotaur cooed with steam coming out of his nose, before he was sliced by the changed form of the mechanical spirit wielded by Lucy/Gemini.

"Taurus-ngh!" Lucy fell on her knees as a sudden wave of exhaustion waved over her.

"Lucy!" Juvia said worriedly and knelt beside the girl.

"Hah! That's what you get for summoning all those spirits one after the other and not having the magical power to support it." Angel said in a haughty tone.

Lucy tried to catch her breath. "Tha... That can't be..."

Juvia put a hand on Lucy's shoulder when she tried to get up again. "Lucy must rest, Juvia will finish this fight." To be completely honest with herself, she was beginning to run low on magical power as well. After their first battle with the Oración Seis, and all the running around she did, it had all taken quite a toll on her magical reserves.

Angel looked to be amused. "Oh? Is that so? Just how are you going manage that?"

Lucy/Gemini lunged forward and swung their weapon with the intent to lob the blue haired girls head off. But when the attack made contact, it went through and Juvia's body turned into water.

The dark mage sighed. "Oh yes, I forgot that physical attacks don't work on you. Caelum, if you would?" As the words left her mouth, the robotic spirit reverted into its canon form and fired a series of shots. Juvia was forced to go into the water in her liquid form, but even then she was barely able to dodge the blasts of energy. It was as if the thing could sense exactly where she was.

Juvia changed back to her physical form and jumped into the air. **"Water shuriken!"** She shouted as a countless number of throwing stars made of water began to rain down on the white-haired girl.

Angel's eyes widened slightly before she smiled. "Caelum, Gemini."

The spirits moved in front of the girl and shielded her from the sharp water that hailed down on them.

'She did it again...' Lucy thought with grit teeth.

"Why do you fight for this girl? Isn't she your 'rival in love'?" Angel asked as her summon faded away from taking the attack.

Juvia landed heavily in the water and began to pant. "It's true... Lucy is... Juvia's rival in love..." She struggled to say between breaths before sending a glare that sent chills down Angel's spine. "But Lucy is Juvia's friend! And Juvia will do anything to protect her friends when they're in danger!"

Tears came to Lucy's eyes and she covered her mouth. "Juvia-!" She gasped as a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her neck and she turned to see Hibiki with a dark smile plastered on his face. "H-Hibibki!?"

"Lucy!" Juvia screamed but tripped on her own feet. 'J-Juvia's magical power is...!'

Angel began to laugh hysterically. "Aha! Don't tell me that man lost himself to the darkness? Hahaha!"

"...Just hold still." Hibiki whispered as his hands moved to Lucy's head. "I'm going to use my Archive magic to give you a onetime transfer of the data of a powerful spell."

"Ahh!" Lucy screamed as piles of symbols she didn't recognize entered her mind.

Angel fruitlessly tried to stop Hibiki from doing whatever it was he was doing, but found that she couldn't summon any of her spirits. "Damn it! Useless pieces of trash! Huh?" In the midst of her rage, the dark mage found that the world around her had started to darken. "W-what is this? Wait!" It was like she was trapped in a void, they were no longer in the forest or near the river anymore.

"...Oh Eighty Signs... Shine!" The blonde finished chanting and opened her now golden glowing eyes to stare at her enemy.

Juvia watched in astonishment as spheres of lights appeared and began to rush towards Angel.

" **Urano Metria!"** Lucy shouted and the colorful spheres mercilessly bashed into her enemy.

'My prayer...' Angel thought as she screamed in pain, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

Upon the end of the attack, everything changed back to normal as the world around them came into view.

"Amazing..." Was Juvia's last thought before finally passing out and she began to slowly drift down the stream.

The golden glow faded from Lucy's eyes and she blinked a couple times before looking around aimlessly. "Eh?"

 **Splash!**

The blonde flinched at the sudden noise and turned around to see the defeated dark mage floating motionlessly on the surface of the water. "What? What happened? Did I do that?" Lucy looked around and saw Hibiki's unconscious form leaning against a boulder. "Juvia!" The water mage was floating towards the rapids and Lucy could only assume she was out of magical power.

Lucy forced herself to stand and pushed her way towards her friend. "Juvia! Get a hold of yourself! You're gonna fall!" Just before the girls fell down the rapids, Lucy lunged forward and grabbed Juvia's hand just in time. To keep them both from falling, she grabbed onto a nearby branch that was sticking out of the water. Lucy sighed in relief as they hung there for a moment, though it was short lived when the branch began to crack.

"Are you kidding me~!" The celestial spirit mage yelled as the two were swept away down the rapids.

* * *

"Hey, Bee-Ossan?" Naruto asked as the ninja jumped through the trees.

"What's up?" Bee asked casually, causing Naruto to nearly miss a branch.

'So he CAN talk normally!' The teen cleared his throat before asking. "Do you miss the Elemental Nations? I mean, have you ever had the thought that you might not be able to go back?"

The rapper seemed to think about it for a second before he grinned. "Things are happening for a good reason~! So Ima have some fun up to the next season~!"

That thought had been bothering Naruto recently, who was to say he would be able to get back home? Just thinking about never being able to see his friends back again, the promises he made and wouldn't be able to keep. The only reason he wasn't freaking out as much as one would think was because he was having so much fun in Fairy Tail.

 _'Why go back?'_ A voice in the blonde's head echoed.

Naruto landed on a branch and stopped moving, he just stood there with his bangs shadowing his face.

The voice continued. _'It's fun here... The people here are nice... They accepted you without a second thought.'_

Killer Bee noticed Naruto had stopped moving and looked back to see what was wrong. "Yo, Naruto? What's the matter?"

Upon hearing the swordsman's words, Naruto seemed to snap out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Huh? Oh, sorry it's nothing." He said with a light chuckle and looked down, that's when he noticed there was a stream below them. But what really caught his attention was a familiar blue hat that was snagged on a twig. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. 'That's Juvia's hat, isn't it? I got a bad feeling...'

Looking where Naruto was looking, Bee pointed at him with bot of his arms. "Let's separate for now and meet back in a flash~! Then group up with the others to give the enemy a smash~!"

Sending the rapping ninja a thankful nod, Naruto was about to leap off to go look for his friends when Bee's voice stopped him. "Wait! Before you go and separate with the great Killer Bee, you should come over here and bump fists with me~!" He rhymed and held out a fist.

Naruto raised an eyebrow before grinning and bumping the man's fist with his own. "Sorry about this, but I got to go~! But I'll hurry and be back in a flash, dattebayo~!"

* * *

Lucy snapped straight up the moment she regained consciousness and regretted it instantly. "Oww..." She was still sore from that fight with the Oración Seis member, but why couldn't she remember how they won?

"Glad to see your awake, hime." Virgo's voice came from behind.

"Virgo!? What the... When did I get these clothes!?" Lucy was now wearing a blue one piece dress that revealed most of her back and went down to her upper thighs. She had matching blue leggings that went just above her knees. Her hair was done in a twin pig-tail with to longer bangs coming down the sides of her face.

The maid bowed and gestured towards Juvia, who was just waking up. "Yes, I brought from the celestial spirit world. I have provided the same service for Juvia-Sama."

"Eh?" Juvia blinked and looked around sleepily before looking down at her own attire. She gasped to find that she was now wearing a white dress that also revealed her back and had blue going along the sides of the gown. White detached sleeves adorned both of her arms and her legs were covered by white leggings that went up to her upper thighs.

A mischievous glint came to Virgo's eyes. "Shall I prepare some clothes for Naruto-Sama as well, so that you all may match?"

"Yes!" Juvia said with stars in her eyes, and Lucy face palmed at the girl taking the teasing seriously.

Lucy looked off into the distance and noticed the pillar of black light had changed colors. Where it once shined an eerie black, the light was now a bright white. "Well anyways, we better start looking for the others so we can finally take down the Oración Seis."

"Juvia agrees." The water mage said with a nod.

"I'll be taking my leave then, hime." With one final bow, Virgo returned to the spirit realm.

"Ah, wait-" Lucy reached out a hand in a attempt to stop the spirit from leaving but she was already gone. 'Virgo was here on here own just now... Does that mean my magical power is completely empty?'

"Ah, Juvia is still out of magical power... Maybe Naruto-Sama will carry Juvia!" She said with a sly look, her imagination began to run wild.

Lucy sweatdropped at the blue haired girl's antics. "Oh yeah, about what you said during the fight. Thanks, it really means a lot to me." She said with a warm smile.

Juvia snapped out of her thoughts and returned the smile. "Of course, everyone in the guild is family."

They shared a friendly moment of silence before Juvia pointed at Lucy intensely. "However! Lucy is still Juvia's rival in love, and Juvia has no intention of letting you have Naruto-Sama!"

The celestial spirit mage smiled awkwardly and waved her off. "Yes, yes, of course."

"Oi~! Lucy! Juvia! Can you hear me!?"

"Well speak of the devil..." Lucy mused to herself as her blue haired companion squealed in excitement.

"Naruto-Sama~!" Juvia cheered as the boy walked into view.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for yo-" Naruto squinted his eyes and studied the two girls.

Lucy shifted under the whiskered teen's gaze. "W-what?" Did he think she looked good in these clothes? Not that she really cared or anything…

Juvia pulled out an outfit that matched their own and showed it to the blonde ninja. "Virgo-San left you a matching set!"

Lucy's eyes bulged out of her head. "She actually left some clothes!?"

Naruto crossed his arms and shook his head. "...What are doing playing dress up in the middle of an important mission? I can understand Lucy, but Juvia?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Lucy asked with an irritated look. Sure, she changed her outfit during the Tower of Heaven fiasco, but that's it!

"Naruto-Sama is right, Juvia will accept any form of punishment!" Juvia declared with a little bit of drool escaping her mouth.

Lucy deadpanned. 'What are you, Virgo now?'

Naruto looked around and noticed they were the only ones here. "Where is everyone? Was Wendy-Chan able to heal Erza?"

Lucy nodded to her fellow blonde. "Yeah, Erza's fine. But she found out that Jellal was here and took off."

"Ah crap, she found out? Yeah, Jellal is here for some reason. The leader of the Oración Seis was talking to him when we rescued Wendy-Chan." Naruto explained while scratching his cheek.

Was it just Lucy, or was she having a serious case of dé·jà vu right now?

* * *

 **A/N: I sincerely apologize for the long delay. No seriously, I am. I have no excuses!**

 **Anyway, the Oración Seis Arc will be ending soon, either next chapter or the one after that.**

 **What did you think? Leave a review to let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I'll see you guys in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	15. One Fight After The Other

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 3/15/2017**

* * *

Killer Bee effortlessly kicked off a tree branch and silently landed on the ground with trained profession.

 **'Oi, Bee. How much longer are you going to dawdle around? We need to learn more about that scroll that brought us here. Aren't you worried about what the Raikage is going do once he finds out that you escaped the Akatsuki and used that little fiasco as a means of sneaking out of the village?'**

The swordsmen grinned. "No way! We're stuck here for now so we might as well stay and play!"

The eight-tailed beast sighed. **"Then what do you think of that Naruto kid being here as well? Could all of this really be a part of the Akatsu-"**

"No! We were fighting it out with the tailless tailed beast~! But before we could win the battle we just ceased~! Disappeared faster than calamari at a feast!"

...

There was an awkward silence between the man and the beast.

Bee scratched his cheek. "Uh... Sorry..."

* * *

 _'You don't really want to go back, do you?'_

Naruto shook his head. Ever since he had regrouped with Lucy and Juvia that stupid voice started chiming in more frequently. It wasn't the fox, who seemed to be ignoring him now for some reason, so what was it?

"Hey, you okay?"

Naruto turned to see Lucy sending him a concerned look. He nodded and grinned, if only a little. "Yeah, just wondering if the others are okay."

Lucy nodded back, but her expression didn't change. The ninja had been spacing out a lot recently, she'd have to keep her eye on him.

"We'll know for sure as soon as we reach that light." Juvia said and pointed passed all the pitch-black trees at the bright tower of light. The color of the light had just recently changed from black to white, so something was obviously going on over there.

* * *

The earth suddenly began to violently shake, knocking the trio off their feet. "What is this!?" Lucy shrieked as the ground underneath them rose, dirt sprung up and trees were tossed aside like toothpicks as something huge began rise with the group on top of it.

"Hang on!" Naruto yelled and pinned them all to the rising object, using his chakra to keep from being shaken off.

After squeezing his eyes shut and waiting until everything settled down, Naruto opened his eyes and almost lost his grip when he saw just what had sprouted out of the ground. "Is this... Nirvana?"

The massive object towered over the landscape, standing on eight spider-like legs. They were currently situated on the side of one of the limbs, just about half way to the main body.

Naruto checked to see if Lucy and Juvia were okay and saw that the two were currently gawking at the sight. "You guys okay?" It took a second, but the girls both looked at him "Alright, let's go up there. Erza and the rest are probably on this thing too."

With that said, the three began to work their way up to the top of the leg. While they were running, Naruto looked back and raised an eyebrow. "By the way, why did you guys change your clothes?"

Lucy smirked and held her head high. "It just so happens that Juvia and I defeated a member of the Oración Seis. The battle was so intense that we had to change our clothes." The celestial spirit mage internally sweatdropped. 'Even though I don't remember how we won...'

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he grinned widely. "Whoa, really? Good job you two!" He knew that they had gotten into a fight when he found Juvia's hat, but he didn't expect it to be an Oración Seis member.

Lucy's cheeks burned a little at the praise, why did she have to feel this way every time the shinobi grinned like that?

"Naruto-Sama's praise!" Juvia squealed before gaining a determined expression. "Okay! Juvia can feel a newfound power welding inside of her!"

As the group neared the base of the giant leg, they noticed an entrance that most likely led to the inside of whatever the thing was.

Naruto looked up the wall around the opening and turned back to look at his friends. "I'm going to run up the wall, we need to stop this thing as soon as possible. You guys go through there and regroup with Erza, I'm going look for the Oración Seis."

Lucy nodded and entered the entrance. "Got it, be careful."

Juvia wanted to stay with Naruto after just being reunited, but reluctantly nodded as well and followed her rival in love.

Naruto watched the two leave before jumping onto the wall and sprinting up at full speed. Reaching the top in no time at all, the blonde flew up and over the ledge and into the air. Scanning around before he fell back down, Naruto was surprised to see an ancient city sprawled out the top of the colossal structure.

"What are buildings doing here?" Naruto thought out loud as he landed. He took a couple seconds to look around before scratching his head. "This place is so big I don't even know where to start... Hm?" Naruto noticed some flashing lights coming from the giant tower in the middle of the city. "It's always has to be towers, doesn't it?"

* * *

Brain laughed as the controls of Nirvana expanded, the magic sequences flashing all around him. "Haha! The greatest weapon against the light is finally mine!"

Cobra watched with glee as the magic circles grew brighter. "So Brain, now that we have Nirvana, what's our first move?"

"Destroy that guild of course." The leader of the Oración Seis said darkly and the two smiled wickedly. With their first target decided, Brain raised his staff and shouted. "Go forth my ancient capital! Turn the light into my darkness!"

As the enormous legs began to move towards its new destination, Cobra's ear twitched. "Someone's here!" Just as he said that, a red and orange blur flew over the ledge of the tower and towards the two men. The person threw some small objects onto the ground and exploded, bring forth a cloud of smoke that completely blinded them.

"Cobra! Take them out!" Brain yelled out. It took most of his concentration to control Nirvana, so the mastermind had no choice but to rely on his comrade to protect him.

"Rodger that." Cobra muttered and closed his eyes, his ears twitching as he focused on finding his opponent. "...I can hear you!" With the swipe of a hand, Cobra lashed out and made impact with something, causing the smoke around them to disperse.

As the gas disappeared, purple eyes met crimson and the two fighters stared each other down.

'What's with those eyes, and this strength is insane! His arm won't even budge!' Cobra thought as he struggled to push forward. "Naruto Uzumaki I believe? Fairy Tail's one man army."

Naruto's expression didn't change as he continued to block the arm. "Yeah, you guys really did your research. Mind telling me where this thing's headed?"

Cobra smirked and Naruto's eyes widened when he sensed magic flare into the man's hand. The shinobi quickly jumped back as a magenta-like haze poured out of Cobra's limb. Naruto didn't waste any time and circled around his enemy at a neck-breaking speed. He then swooped in to attack, aim for the guy's head.

"It's useless, I can hear yo-" Cobra moved to avoid the teen's punch but was taken by surprise when an invisible force suddenly made contact with his cheek. The impact sent him hurdling over the ledge of the tower and into the ruined city.

Naruto whistled as he watched the man fly through the air before turning to face the now frowning Brain. "That should take care of that guy, now it's just you and me." He pointed at the white-haired mage. "I didn't quite catch most of your conversation earlier, but I did hear you say something about destroying a guild. There's no way I'm letting you do that."

With that said, the whiskered teen dashed forward, but didn't get very far. Naruto was forced to jump out of the way as something snuck up from behind and snapped at him.

"Did you really think that was enough to finish me off!? Well think again!"

Naruto looked up to find Cobra standing on a giant snake, and it was flying. "Whoa! That snake is flying!?"

Cobra grinned and pat his cold-blooded friend. "That's Cubellios for you. If you don't want to be her next snack, then don't even think about going near Brain."

Naruto looked back and forth between the two dark mages. 'I need to stop this thing as soon as possible, but that guy is just gonna keep getting in the way. I'll have to-'

"-finish him off first? I heard that." Cobra said and Naruto's eyes widened.

"You can read my mind!? How are you doing that!?"

The maroon haired man shrugged. "Listening magic, I can hear everything you do and even your next move. Now that I know about that invisible blow of yours, attacking me is useless."

"Eh!? Dammit, that's so cool! I really gotta learn some freaking magic!" Naruto whined in a childish manner, receiving odd looks from the others present.

Cobra narrowed his eyes. 'Though something's been bothering me. I hear not one, but six voices in this guy's head. I don't know how that's possible but it's starting to give me a headache. Better finish this quickly.'

"Cobra! Quit messing around and finish that fool off already!" Brain shouted, snapping the jinchuuriki out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I know!" The snake then began to fly towards Naruto, who crossed his fingers in a cross-like hand sign.

" **Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

Four plumes of smoke burst out of nowhere around the blonde teen as four clones came into existence.

"Let's go!" Naruto sounded off and the he and the clones charged forward.

"It's useless! I can hear all of your movements!" Cobra yelled and kicked a clone in the chest, dispelling it instantly. Cubellios whacked another with a swipe of its tail.

The original and the two remaining clones attacked at the same time. The snake got ready to spin around and hit them all at once but before it moved, the clones pushed the real Naruto up and over the tail towards Cobra.

"Looks like I'll have to go seriously then." Cobra said and his arms became covered in purple scales.

When the two collided fists, they both pulled back and let out pained screams.

"Gah! What the hell is your skin made of, steel?" Cobra held his hand and glared daggers at the shinobi.

Naruto grunted in pain as he landed back onto the ground. "Ouch, that burns! What is your skin made out of, acid!?" Naruto growled back.

"Cubellios." The purple snake opened its mouth and a cloud of what looked to be a haze of purple poison came out. Cobra then put out his good hand and began to eat the poison, one scoop at a time.

Naruto watched the scene with distaste before realizing something. 'Wait a second. Poisonous scales... Eats poison... Rides a flying animal...' His eyes widened. "You're a dragon slayer!"

"Hehe… Yeah I'm a poison dragon slayer, but I'm a second-generation dragon slayer. I had a Poison dragon slaying lacrima put into me and everything a poison dragon touches, decays!" Cobra said and flew towards the sage once more, poison claws outstretched.

'He's not like Natsu and Gajeel, but like Laxus...' Naruto though as he jumped off the tower and onto one of the nearby rooftops to buy some time to think. 'I don't want to get hit with that poison. Sage Mode or not, poison hurts!' He jumped into one of the buildings and calmed himself. 'This sucks! I can hardly make contact as it is, but when I do it'll burns like hell! What do I do in a situation like this?'

"I can hear you."

 **Crash!**

The wall behind Naruto exploded and Cobra lunged at him, claws outstretched. He jumped back and created a single clone, but was nicked on his right arm by the venomous strike. Naruto grunted in pain but grabbed onto Cobra's arm with his left hand before he could pull back.

"Hey, let go!" Cobra demanded and tried to free himself from the blonde's crushing grip.

Cubellios bit into Naruto's left shoulder and he cursed as even more venom entered his system, but he strained himself to keep going.

Reaching his free hand out, the clone formed a Rasengan before dispersing. **"Rasengan!"** The blue sphere burrowed deep into Cobra's gut, launching him off his snake and out of the wall he busted through earlier.

Naruto then forced the purple reptile's jaws out of his arm and launched it after it's master. After hearing a crash, he crouched down and started panting heavily. The poison was really starting to get to him. Naruto pushed himself up and limped to the open hole in the building he was inside of. Looking down, he saw Cobra underneath the large snake completely motionless.

Jumping down to the ground, Naruto's body screamed in pain but he kept moving. He had to make sure the guy was still alive. The old man said that killing wasn't allowed in the guild, and he intended to honor that rule.

Naruto stopped next to Cobra and knelt again to check his pulse. 'Good, he's still alive.' He sighed in relief and released the natural energy, and his features reverted to normal.

Sitting down and leaning against a nearby wall, Naruto closed his now normal eyes. He really needed to do something about this poison.

As Naruto escaped into his mindscape, Brain made his way over to them, silently smirking to himself. "It looks like I just found a very interesting person."

* * *

Lucy groaned to herself. Could things get any weirder? The moment she and Juvia made it into the ancient city, they ran into Jura and one of the Oración Seis members. Apparently, the guy, who's name they'd learned was Hoteye, was now on their side because of Nirvana.

But then they had a run in with another Oración Seis member that went by the name of Midnight who was apparently related to their leader. Hoteye urged that they leave Midnight to him, so they left without him.

As of right now, their little group was heading towards the control tower called "the king's tower".

"What's the matter Lucy?" Juvia asked while sending her a questioning look.

Lucy sighed. "Ah, nothing. I was just thinking about how crazy things have gotten all of a sudden. Man, I could really use a nice hot shower right about now."

"Lucy-Dono, Juvia-Dono, look sharp! The enemy is in front of us!" Jura said and pointed in front of them, they saw Brain walking into view. He seemed to be dragging something...

"Naruto!?" Lucy shrieked. Did Naruto get defeated? The thought of her fellow blonde losing was just unfathomable.

Juvia got into a battle-ready stance. "What do you intend to do with Naruto-Sama?"

Brain continued to frown at them before smirking. "I intend to make this boy one of the six demons. Our members have fallen to half of its members, he'll make a suitable comrade in the destruction of the light guilds.

"Naruto-Sama would never join you!" The water mage fumed. "He loves Fairy Tail and would never do anything to hurt it!"

Jura frowned. "Naruto-Dono doesn't seem to be unconscious... What is the meaning of this?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that statement and took a closer look at Naruto. He looked to be unconscious but... wait, no. Jura was right, he wasn't unconscious. Lucy remembered how the ninja looked when he was meditating, or conversing with the demon sealed in him. Was he talking to the Kyuubi right now?

* * *

 **In Naruto's Mindscape...**

Naruto opened his baggy eyes to find the familiar sealed cage in front of him. He "Hey fox, would you get rid of all of this poison in my system… I think I might actually die if you don't." He joked with a small chuckle.

" **..."**

His vision was getting a little blurry but he could still see the giant orange demon in front of him. "Oi... It hurts like hell just to talk, don't make me yell."

" **...go away..."** The Kyuubi all but whispered.

"Eh?" Naruto tilted his head, completely dumbfounded by the demon's odd behavior. It wasn't like the old fox to be so silent.

" **I said be gone! This filthy magic in the air is beginning to affect even me so leave while I am still myself!** The fox's voice boomed, knocking the teen off his tired feet.

"Ouch... Hey! What are you yelling at me for you stupid fox!?" The blonde yelled and regretted it immediately. His head was now throbbing in pain. "Ugg..."

" **... rry..."**

Naruto blinked and looked up. Did the nine-tailed fox just apologize? To him!? Never in his dreams did he think the demon would ever say those words, and to him of all people. "Huh?"

The Kyuubi growled **"I said I'm sorry brat, alright!? Damn this accursed magic! Here, I'll take care of the poison. But don't think I'm doing it because you're growing on me or anything..."**

"..." Naruto's eye twitched, was he hallucinating? The poison must be rotting his brain right now because there was no way in hell this was the fox he knew. Naruto suddenly felt another presence behind him, he quickly turned around but found nothing but sewer.

That was weird, he could have sworn he was being watched.

* * *

"Naruto, snap out of it!" Lucy yelled, she had to bring him out of his mindscape before that Brain guy could do anything.

Brain chuckled. "It's useless, the same poison that incapacitated the one called Erza Scarlet now runs through his veins. I intend to turn him before removing it."

Juvia growled in frustration. She couldn't attack and risk hitting Naruto, what could she do?

Lucy was more concerned about the poison, was Naruto trying to get the demon fox to get rid of the poison in him and having a hard time convincing it to do so? It was possible considering how long he was staying in his mindscape.

As everyone seemed to be considering their options, Naruto cracked an eye open.

'Ah, he woke up.' They all thought at the same time.

Brain didn't seem to notice and continued his rant. "Soon this ancient capital will arrive at its first destination, Cait Shelter!"

The light mages were shocked to hear this.

Naruto narrowed his eyes, but stayed silent. 'That's Wendy-Chan's guild, isn't it? What does he want with her guild?'

Jura glared at the dark mage, who was laughing like a mad-man. "Tell us your purpose, why are you aiming for Wendy-Dono's guild?"

The Oración Seis leader stopped laughing and smirked. "I want to see what happens when I use Nirvana's super reversal magic on a light guild. In other words, hell." Brain shivered as a wave of killer intent washed over him, and he glanced down to see blood red eyes glaring up at him. Shaking the feeling away, Brain's smirk returned. It's not like the teen could move with all that poison in his body.

"So, you're awake? Are you prepared to watch as I eliminate your frien-"

 **Thwack!**

Brain didn't even get to finish his last word when Naruto smashed a fist into his face. The impact caused a shock wave as the man flew straight through an ancient building.

Naruto calmed himself and his features returned to normal. He had almost let his anger get the best of him, a rampaging demon wouldn't help anyone right now. Maybe it was because of Nirvana's magic.

The others walked over to the whiskered teen. "Naruto-Sama!" Juvia cheered and jumped onto his back. "Juvia was so worried! Are you okay?" Her face then turned red and even began to drool a little. "Does Juvia need to suck out all of the poison!?"

Lucy sweatdropped. "Are you okay? You look pretty tired…"

Naruto laughed, she must be worried about the poison. "Yeah, I'm fine. The fox got rid of all the poison."

"That was an impressive show of strength, Naruto-Dono. As expected of the one that defeated Laxus Dreyar. I can see why Leon-Dono set his eyes on you." Jura complimented before he turned towards the direction Brain flew. "But I fear that it is not over yet."

As if to go along with Jura's statement, Brain walked out of the building he crashed into. "Heh. That took me by surprise, I didn't expect you to be able to move so soon." He raised his staff and a familiar aura of magic began to ooze out of it.

Naruto acted fast and created two clones that went straight to work, their hands moving furiously. Brain then thrust the staff forward and the dark magic zoomed towards them. 'Shit! I'm not gonna make it in time!'

" **Iron Rock Wall!"** Jura shouted out with his arm outstretched and a group of stone pillars came out of the ground to shield them.

The spell collided with the rocks and an explosion shook the group and threatened to knock them down. But it was no time to celebrate because Brain was already on the move again and shot out another spell.

Jura immediately created another wall to shield himself but was surprised to find the dark mage's spell penetrate through the earth like butter. "You can't block a penetration spell!" Brain yelled before his eyes went wide.

"Whoa..." The Fairy Tail members watched in awe as the wizard saint literally bent the stone as if it were rubber and sent the opposing spell sky-high.

Jura followed up by sending multiple rocks at Brain, each of them slamming into him as they began to bury the man. When he was completely sealed up in a mass of rock, Jura raised his hands and clasped them together. "Grah!" At the same time, the rocky formation exploded and Brain landed on the ground in heap.

The group cheered as Jura walked over to the fallen Oración Seis member. "So tell me, what was the real reason behind targeting Cait Shelter." He asked, but Brain wasn't listening.

"No... I've been... Defeated? Midnight, you mustn't lose. If you do... That person will..." Brain said before passing out.

Jura knelt next to the man. "That person? Elaborate." He said but it was no use, the Brain was out for the count.

Naruto noticed some of the markings on the Brain's face start to fade away. "Hey look, some of those lines on his face are disappearing."

Juvia noticed it too. "Come to think of it, wasn't there more the last time we saw him? Juvia could have sworn she saw more."

Lucy shivered. "Stop it~! You're gonna give me nightmares..."

"Hey you guys!"

The group turned to see Wendy and Charla running in their direction. Naruto met them half way. "Wendy-Chan, and Charla! Glad to see you guys are okay!"

Wendy nodded before continuing. "It's terrible! This thing is headed towards my guild!"

Naruto pat the little girl on the head, much to Charla's disapproval. "Don't worry, Jura just finished off the leader."

Lucy nodded. "And he was the one controlling this thing, so now that he's defeated Nirvana should stop as well."

"Eh!?"

"Get your filthy paws off of Wendy, you beast!" Charla yelled and scratched Naruto's hand, who yelped in pain.

"Charla! Be nice!" Wendy scolded but the cat just huffed and turned away. The young dragon slayer pouted before turning her attention over to Naruto. "I'm sorry, Charla means well. She's just a little over protective."

"It's okay, I get it." Naruto said and laughed it off. 'That cat is in for some serious pranks once this is all over...' When everyone wasn't looking, he began giggle mischievously.

Lucy noticed her partner's antics and sweatdropped. 'I've got a bad feeling about this...'

Jura decided to take the opportunity to speak. "I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but it is not over just yet."

The others looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

The Lamia Scale mage continued. "We may have defeated the one controlling Nirvana, but it is still moving. We should go to the control area and try to stop it there."

* * *

 **Somewhere In The City...**

"..."

The Hachibi sighed. **"Bee, are you lost?"**

"... Man this sucks, I should have brought a compass~! Our only option now is to look out for a rumpus~!" The rapper was standing on top of a tall building looking for any signs of activity. At first he was headed towards the giant tower in the middle of the city, that was until he noticed a couple explosions and debris in another area. But now everything was completely silent.

Something caught the man's eyes.

"Hm?" Bee hadn't notice before, but there was a person buried underneath some rubble near the building he was standing on. He was near where all the ruckus was earlier, so this must have been the loser of the fight. Leaping off from his perch, the ninja made his way over to the fallen person and raised an eyebrow when he saw who it was. "Oración Seis, the one with the blocky face?"

* * *

After making it up to the top of the tower, Naruto and the rest looked around for the controls. Though they weren't finding anything. "Are you sure this is the place?" Lucy asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, there was a bunch of magic circles surrounding this whole area last time I was here. But if the controls aren't here anymore, and Brain is defeated, then how is Nirvana still moving?"

"It seems asking Brain himself is our only option." Jura declared and the rest agreed.

"... Maybe Jellal..." Wendy mumbled to herself and Lucy glanced at her.

"Sorry Wendy, did you say something?" The little girl twiddled her thumbs. "Er, no. It's nothing." She said before running off. "I think I have a clue, I'm going to go look for it! Come on Charla!"

"Wait, Wendy!" Carla yelled and chased after the little girl.

Naruto sighed and took off after the two. "Hey guys, I'm gonna keep an eye on them. Keep looking for a way to stop this thing and we'll meet up later!"

Lucy nodded and grabbed Juvia when the girl tried to follow the fleeting ninja. "And where do you think you're going?"

Juvia whimpered. "Why must Juvia be separated from Naruto-Sama so much right now?"

Jura chuckled at the Fairy Tail mages before walking towards Brain's unconscious form. They needed to find out how to stop Nirvana before it was too late, and Brain held the answer.

* * *

"I need to find Jellal, I'm sure he'll know how to stop this thing from going to Cait Shelter!" Wendy reassured herself as Charla flew them above the city.

"Wendy-Chan! Charla! Wait up!" A voice called from behind them.

"Naruto-San!?" Wendy was shocked to see Naruto following them by jumping on the rooftops. How did he catch up to them so fast?

"Wendy... I'm sorry but I can't fly anymore..." Charla said and began to descend back to the ground.

Naruto caught up to them as they landed. "Hey, so why did you take off like that so suddenly? What's going on?"

Wendy hesitated at first but then took a deep breath. "I'm looking for Jellal, I think he might know a way to stop this thing." As soon as she finished her sentence, she shut her eyes closed. With the way everyone was reacting to Jellal being here, she just knew Naruto was going to be against it and scold her.

"Okay." Naruto casually said, completely catching Wendy off guard.

"W-what? But what about all of those things Jellal did?"

The shinobi just shrugged. "When I saw him in the cave, I didn't feel any evil vibes. Besides, Erza is most likely with that guy and I'm sure we'll need her to stop this thing." He gave her a toothy grin. "I don't know what Jellal is to you but you want to see him too, don't you?"

Wendy just stared at the blonde for a couple seconds before smiling. She didn't care what the weekly sorcerer magazine said, Naruto was a really nice person. Not to say the articles were saying anything particularly bad about him or anything.

'Not bad, for a beast.' Charla said and smirked. Maybe she was wrong about the teen, not that she'd ever admit it.

Naruto's grin grew wider before he closed his eyes. Before they could question him, the ninja's facial features changed, his eyes to be specific. A bright orange now outlined his sockets. His eye color was now a dark red and a moving golden aura circled his irises, and his pupils were now shaped in a toad-like fashion with a slit going down the middle making a cross.

Realizing she was staring, Wendy blushed and bowed deeply. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to stare!"

Naruto blinked and raised an eyebrow before bursting out laughing. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you. This is what I look like when I go into Sage Mode. To put it simply, it makes me stronger, faster, and helps me sense things better. Which is exactly what I'm about to do now." The sage then closed his eyes again and felt around in an attempt to find Erza. Nirvana was still messing with his senses, but he was starting to get used to it.

Wendy and Charla waited patiently for Naruto to finish searching.

'Where are you Erza... There!' The female knight wasn't all that far from where they were, but what bothered him was that there were two other magic signatures near her. The first one he could vaguely recognize as Jellal, but he couldn't quite read the second one. Naruto could also faintly sense a chakra signature heading in the same direction, so that was probably Killer Bee.

"Okay!" Naruto said abruptly, slightly startling the girl and her feline friend. "I found Erza, but we need to move quick. I'm pretty sure Jellal is with her, but there's also a third person that I don't recognize so we can't be too cautions."

Wendy and Charla both nodded and gained odd expressions when the blonde suddenly knelt in front of the dragon slayer.

"Alright, shall we go then?" Naruto asked expectedly.

Wendy just stood there, completely baffled. "Eh?"

"W-wh-what is the meaning of this!?" Charla stammered.

Naruto sent them a flat look. "Well I did say we needed to hurry, and no offense to Charla, but I think I could get us there faster by running. Besides, didn't you say you were out of magic earlier?"

Charla wouldn't have any of it. "How dare you! Have you no delicacy!? Why I outta-"

Wendy put a hand out, her bangs shadowing her features. "Wait Charla, it's okay."

The white cat stared up at her friend worriedly. "Wendy..."

The little girl looked down and smiled. "You said it yourself, your too tired to fly anymore. We need to stop Nirvana before it gets to our guild." She picked Charla up and gained a determined look. "Okay, I'm ready."

Naruto sweatdropped. 'Why are they making such a big deal out of this? It's just a piggyback ride...'

Girls really were weird.

Wendy walked over to Naruto and readied herself before closing her eyes and hopping on the teen's back.

"Make sure to keep your paws where I can see them beast!" Charla warned.

The whiskered teen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you ready? Okay then, hold on tight!"

"Kya!" Wendy screamed as Naruto picked her up and kicked off the ground, propelling them into the air. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. This way of travel was crazy! No wonder he had caught up to them so fast!

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! That took a lot longer than I expected! I hope it was worth the wait. :)**

 **Again, I apologize for taking so long to get this out. I'm going to try to get a working schedule going so I can get some good writing time in my days. But with finals just around the corner, I can't really promise anything. :(**

 **Over 100 reviews! Another milestone for hopefully many more to come! :D**

 **Thank you all for your continued support! It really means a lot to me. :)**

 **So what did you think of the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Do you have any comments or concerns? As always, review or P.M. me to let me know!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next Chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	16. Naruto's Decision

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 4/18/2017**

* * *

'Those mountains look familiar...' Wendy thought with a grim expression as they continued towards their destination. She hoped they would be able to stop Nirvana before it reached Cait Shelter. As she thought about how close the ancient capital was getting to her guild, she unconsciously tightened her grip.

Naruto noticed this and peered back with a crimson eye. "You okay?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine!" Wendy stuttered and hung her head down in embarrassment.

Naruto laughed. "You're a pretty funny kid you know that? Hey, I've been wondering for a while now but, what else does your dragon slaying magic do? We have two dragon slayers back at Fairy Tail and the only thing their magic seems to be good for is destroying things. But you said you didn't have a lot of offensive techniques and more support." He was curious to as to what else the girl's magic was capable of because she healed Erza, and he wasn't even there to see it.

Wendy smiled brightly, she loved talking about her magic, and having someone ask her about her magic and actually believing her made her even happier. "Besides healing, my sky dragon magic can do a lot of support! Like granting speed boosts, power boosts, and defense boosts. I can also cure little things like motion sickness, though the effects are only temporary..."

That caught Naruto's attention. "Motion sickness? Man, Natsu would kill for that magic! The poor guy can't stand on transportation for his life!"

"What are the other dragon slayers like?" Wendy asked curiously, she'd never met another dragon slayer before and hearing Fairy Tail had two was exciting.

Naruto sweatdropped as he thought about the slayers in question. One of them is a complete flame-head that thought of nothing but fighting, and the other is a foul-mouthed bastard who also thought of nothing but fighting. "They're crazy. But when it comes to Fairy Tail, they're pretty normal I guess."

"Oh." Wendy wondered how they were like in person if she'd ever meet them.

"They sound rather troublesome to deal with." Charla said with a sweatdrop. If someone like Naruto said they were crazy to him, who knew what those dragon slayers were capable of.

There was a comfortable silence between the three of them, the only noise being the wind and the silent tapping of sandals hitting cement as the ninja ran across the rooftops.

Something bothered Naruto. During their trip, there had been heard an explosion coming from the tower where the others were at. Jura was there and he was a wizard that even Erza held high respect for, but Naruto could help but worry for his friends.

At least there were no more random questions floating back and forth in his head-

 _'What awaits you back there? That shabby old apartment they gave you?'_

Damn, right when Naruto thought that stupid voice in his head went away. Just what was it anyway? It wasn't the Kyuubi. In fact, the demon was acting weird right now.

 _'Just imagine the kind of life you could keep here? Always being surrounded by people who want to be around you, instead of the people that became "friends" with you only after you saved their lives.'_

Naruto growled and shook his head, this was really starting to annoy him.

"Naruto-San?" Wendy asked worriedly while Carla looked at him with the same suspicious look.

"Sorry, it's nothing." Naruto said and strained a smile while the girl slightly frowned. "Oh, where here. Stay sharp, we don't know if the third person is an enemy or not."

They nodded their heads and Naruto jumped down into an alleyway.

"Woah..." Wendy felt the blood rushing to her head as the blonde put her down.

"Wendy! Are you okay?" Charla asked while Naruto helped her stay up.

"Yeah, I'll be fine… Just a little dizzy." Wendy wasn't scared heights or anything, she flew around with Charla all of the time so it definitely wasn't that. It was just the constant feeling of going up and down, like riding on a roller-coaster with no seat-belt.

"Alright, stay behind me." Naruto whispered and the three creeped along the walls and peeked around the corner. There they found Erza standing in front of a man with black hair and dark purple lipstick on. The knight looked ready to attack with how tightly she was holding her weapon while the Oración Seis member smiled pleasantly.

Naruto scanned the area for Jellal and found the man all battered up on the floor, it seemed he must have fought and lost to the raven-haired mage.

"Ah, Jellal!" Wendy was about to go to him but Naruto put a hand out and stopped her.

Just as he did so, Erza disappeared from sight and reappeared in front of the dark mage. She brought her sword up in an upward slash, only for the swipe to miss completely.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'Erza missed? No, she was spot on. That guy must have done something.'

Erza summoned another sword in her free hand and continued her assault. The swords seemed to bend away from him as soon as they got near. The person raised their hand and Erza grunted as she was forced back.

"What kind of magic is that? It's almost like he can move any object at will." Charla said with a frown.

"What the!?"

They watched as Erza's armor began to twist around and constrict her.

"Erza!" Naruto turned to Wendy and Charla. "You two stay here, I'm going to help." When they nodded, the ninja turned and dashed into the open. "Hey creepy! Take a load of this!" He yelled while pulling a kunai from his sleeve and threw it.

Midnight merely shifted his body and the kunai landed on the ground behind him. "Oh, another victim so soon?"

"Naruto!?" Erza gasped as she broke free of the armor binding her and replacing it with a new set.

'…Naruto?' Jellal struggled to look up from where he lay to get a view of the blonde. That name sounded strangely familiar to him. Just like Erza, he felt like he knew this person. But he just couldn't remember…

Naruto skid to a stop in front of the armored woman and pointed right in her face. "Hey! Glad I finally found you! Why'd you straight up leave the others like that!?"

Erza frowned and looked towards Jellal. "I..."

"Hey now, have you forgotten about me?" Midnight's smile grew grim. "That deserves some punishment..."

 **Tsssss...!**

"Hm?" Midnight looked behind him and found that there was a tag that was now burning attached to the throwing knife that landed right behind him. "Wha-"

 **BOOM!**

Naruto snickered. "Hehe! You can never underestimate a ninja!" His little celebration was cut short when Erza readied herself. "Stay sharp, it's not over yet!"

The dust cloud that was caused by the explosion swirled and flew away, revealing a sickeningly happy Midnight. "That was good, but it won't work on me!"

"Ehh!? This guy can block explosions too!? No fair!" Naruto whined and stomped on the ground. He was really starting to feel left out, being the only one without magic. Sure, he wasn't originally from this world… But he was able to conduct magic within his body, so he should be able to use magic too damn it!

The evil mage began to laugh. "My Reflector magic can twist and distort anything and even reflect your attacks right back at you. Now, I really want to see your pained faces now..."

"Here he comes!" Erza shouted and the two braced themselves for the attack when a holler came from the rooftops.

"WHEEEEEE!" Killer Bee yelled and flew straight towards a surprised Midnight. **"Lariat!"** He brought his arm up and electricity sparked to life, completely covering the appendage with lightning.

"Hmph, it's useless..." Midnight smirked and used his magic to redirect the lightning in the man's arm, but found that he couldn't reflect it. "What!? Guh!" The Lariat crashed right into his collar, knocking the wind out of the mage and sending him flying into a building.

"...Eh?" Naruto and Erza stood there slack-jawed. Could it be that this guy was actually really powerful?

The rapper did a little dance and spit out a few rhymes in celebration that didn't make any sense.

Everyone watching sweatdropped before turning to where the last Oración Seis member landed.

"Was that enough?"

Erza walked over to the fallen dark mage and found that he was indeed knocked out cold.

Jellal looked at the dancing ninja in astonishment. 'Amazing... to be able to defeat such a foe in a single hit...'

'Note to self, do not get on that guy's bad side...' Naruto thought with a shiver.

Erza studied the rapper closely, wondering how the man's magic was unaffected by Midnight's Reflector. "Bee, might I ask how your magic was effective? This mage had the ability to move anything that wasn't alive. He should have been able to redirect your arm since it was covered in lightning."

Bee raised an eyebrow. "Magic? No! Back where I come from we use a thing called chakra! Killer Bee-Sama don't go saying abracadabra~!"

The red head widened her eyes and turned to Naruto and the teen shrugged in response.

"I was gonna tell you all but never got the chance, but I'll explain later. We need to stop thing first. Wendy, Carla! You guys can come out now!"

The two came out from their hiding spot and walked over to them. "Hello again, Erza-San." Wendy said with a bow.

Erza smiled back and walked over to Jellal to help him up. "You okay?"

The ex-council member thanked her as he struggled to stand. "Yes... somehow."

"Okay, can somebody please explain how Jellal is here?" Naruto asked while rubbing the bridge of his nose. Because quite frankly, the man should be dead.

Wendy poked her fingers together. "The Oración Seis made me heal him..."

"Eh?" Naruto balked. Healed him? "You're healing magic can bring people back to life?" How do you heal a person who was last seen blowing up into smithereens?

"No, Jellal somehow survived the blast and was stuck in a comatose state until Wendy revived him. His memories were damaged and he can't recall anything from the past." Erza explained, and Naruto looked at the blue haired man in slack jawed disbelief.

Wendy gasped. Was that the reason why Jellal hadn't recognize her? Because he has amnesia? But if that were the case, then why did he smell different than she remembered from all those years ago?

"Wait a second! Does that mean you have forgotten how to stop Nirvana!?" Carla asked Jellal, who sadly shook his head.

"I'm sorry, the self-destruct magic won't work anymore and I don't know what else to do..."

The two Cait Shelter members gasped. "Then how are we going to stop this thing from destroying our guild!? Cait Shelter is right in front of us!"

Naruto sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, our only option now is to find Brain and..." He stopped mid-sentence and fell silent, his eyes growing wide. A feeling of dread washed over him as he felt an evil presence near the control tower, one similar to that of Jose.

Without a hint of warning, Naruto suddenly turned around and began to run in the direction of the tower. He hadn't notice it before, but he could hardly sense Jura's magical presence at all. He started to run faster, ignoring the calls from behind him.

Naruto cursed. 'I should have stayed with them!'

If something happened to Lucy or Juvia, he would never forgive himself.

* * *

"Kyaa!" Lucy shrieked. "Stupid perverted staff!" She swiped at the cackling stick who had just peeked up her skirt.

"Kakaka! The underwear of a child like you could hardly excite me!" It said while avoiding the girl's anger filled strikes.

"Ufufu... Lucy has no sex-appeal..." Juvia mused to herself and Lucy bristled.

"S-shut up and help me out!"

After running into a trap and Jura getting injured protecting them, Lucy and Juvia were now dealing with Brain's staff which could apparently talk. And it was pretty strong for a piece of wood.

The staff suddenly stopped moving. "Hm? The six... have been defeated!? Now he will...!"

Lucy and Juvia stopped chasing and looked at the strange stick skeptically.

"What? Who's he?"

"Brain has another personality you see. The one you have seen thus far is the one that loves knowledge and goes by the code-name "Brain". The one that Brain sealed away, the one that is bent on the destruction of everything, master Zero!"

A chill went down their spines as the staff quickly turned around and bowed. "Eek! W-welcome back master Zero!"

A pale-skinned Brain with red eyes walked out from the shadows and into the clearing.

"Ah, Klodoa. Things have gotten rather interesting." He said before turning to the girls. "I am Zero, master of the Oración Seis. I suppose it's time to pay you back for the damage you've done to my guild."

Lucy began to shiver. There was some off about this guy. He gave off such an evil aura that it made her sick, she couldn't even move.

Juvia was experiencing the same terror, it was a similar feeling when Jose became furious back in Phantom Lord.

They held onto each other helplessly as the psychotic man began to flare his magical power.

'Naruto/Sama!'

"Get away from them!"

Zero frowned and raised an arm just in time as a spiraling blue sphere slammed into his magic shield. His eyes widened when his barrier began to crack.

'Who is this brat?' Zero thought as a crazed grin spread across his face.

The Rasengan exploded and the two were pushed back from each other.

Lucy and Juvia cheered for their rescuer before gasping when the teen suddenly doubled over, clutching his head in pain.

 _'Don't you see?'_ The voice chimed in, stronger than ever before. _'You would go to no ends for these people, and they for you. So, stay here... Forget about that place!'_

Zero watched in fascination as a crimson aura began to leak out of the boy's body. 'Hm? What could this be?'

"Shut up..." Naruto growled as pieces of skin began to flake off and evaporate, revealing a blood red energy underneath. "Get out **of MY HEAD!"** He roared as his form was consumed in a dome of tainted chakra.

Lucy and Juvia had taken cover behind a fallen pillar as the area around them started to shake.

'This is... the Kyuubi's chakra isn't it?' Lucy thought as the red dome started to crack. She remembered the first time she had seen it, but this was on a whole other level.

" **Groawrrrrrrr!"**

The dome shattered, and everyone was shocked by Naruto's new appearance. His body was shaped more like that of a fox, with four long tails swinging behind him. You could still see the outline of his once golden hair as he was now all red, except for his now eerily white eyes and mouth.

"...Narut-?" Juvia started but was immediately silenced by Lucy who clamped a hand over her mouth.

Lucy had a feeling that Naruto was in a state where he would attack anything that moved, so it would best for them to stay out of his site for now.

Zero smiled maniacally, seemingly unfazed. "Hah! That form of yours is something else! I'm really going to enjoy destroying you!" He raised his hand and fired a green magic missile.

"Grrrrr..." The possessed ninja growled and smacked the spell out of the air effortlessly.

Naruto then blurred out of existence, reappearing in front of a surprised Zero with crimson claws extracted to kill.

Zero almost failed to react but brought up his magic barrier just in time to bock the slash. His eyes widened in surprise when the hand instantly broke through, shattering his defense like frail glass.

"Master Zero!" Klodoa called out in distress as he watched his master get sent flying through the roof. For someone as powerful as Zero to have his barrier broken so easily, and then be sent flying like that… who was this boy? "Eep!" The crimson teen was now looking directly at the talking staff. "Save me!" Klodoa screamed and tried to escape, but Naruto extended his arm to inhuman lengths and grabbed the fleeting stick.

The girls watched in horror as Naruto then proceeded to crush the enchanted piece of wood in his hands mercilessly. They shrieked and held onto each other when the teen's gaze fell upon them.

"N-Naruto-Sama...?" Juvia tried with a shaky voice.

Lucy gulped when the possessed teen took a step forward. "This i-isn't Naruto... T-this is the Kyuubi..." She remembered Naruto telling her about this form. That the demon took control of his body and attacked just about anything that moved. But this was worse than anything she could have imagined.

What once were ocean blue eyes were now empty white sockets that seemed to stare into their very souls. But before the fox could get any closer, a bright green light started flashing from the hole in the roof. Zero was looking down with a wicked smile plastered on his face. The demon turned around just in time to be hit in the face by a stream of green magic.

Lucy and Juvia ducked as the fox flew over their heads and through the other side of the room, through the tower walls, then finally plummeting down and onto one of the buildings of the ancient city.

Hearing a mocking laugh, the demon got up and growled at the laughing form of Zero on top of the tower.

"Hah! You have quite some strength! But now I must turn my attention to the Nirvits... the only ones who can stand in my way of destroying everything!" As he finished his sentence, Nirvana began to shake and a bright light began to shine at the front of the colossal structure.

The Kyuubi glanced around, as if it was looking for something.

Zero raised his arms and smiled with glee as the controls to the ancient capital flared around him. "Now, fire! Nirvana!"

…

The charging noise ceased as the bright light died out, leaving Zero in a puzzled state. "... What? What happened?" The man gaped when he saw smoke rising from where the legs connected to the main body. He then peered down at his crimson foe and found that its arms and four tails were stuck into the ground. "No... it can't be..."

The Kyuubi pulled its appendages from the ground and dropped something from its hands. It was a shiny dust, almost like...

'Did he destroy Nirvana's power sources from here!? All at once!?' Zero thought with his mouth agape. That was absurd! The lacrima were located at the base of each of the legs. To be able to reach them all from this distance was just...

 **Rumble!**

"What's happening now!?" Lucy cried out as Nirvana began to shake. One by one, the legs fell to the Earth and the girls had to grab onto something as the whole place started falling.

Nirvana, having lost its power supply, fell to the ground with a loud crash.

Once the shaking stopped, Lucy got up and dusted herself off. "Ugg... I wanna go home..." She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Um, Lucy? Juvia thinks we should get out of here, and quickly."

Raising an eyebrow, the blonde looked outside to see their possessed friend surrounded by a collection of red and blue orbs. The two colors swirled and morphed together in front of his mouth, making a dark purple-like ball.

Lucy started sweating. "That doesn't look good..."

The two scurried out of the broken tower, not wanting to find out what happened when he finished charging whatever it was.

Zero stood up and looked down at scene before him. Nirvana was in ruins, his plans for destruction crippled by a single mage.

"Damn you..." He muttered under his breath, his finger beginning to glow an eerie green. "I will erase your very existence!"

The purple chakra ball grew to an enormous size before shrinking down immensely. It was then swallowed by the demon, and the ground underneath him cracked as a result.

" **Genesis Zero!"**

Both parties fired off their respective techniques simultaneously. The tailed beast bomb flew towards the wave of phantoms at an impossible speed.

Zero watched in disbelief as the crimson sphere ripped straight through his strongest technique like a hot knife through butter. "It can't be! What are you!?" He yelled as the powerful attack crashed into what was left of the tower.

* * *

Erza and the others got to their feet as soon as the shaking stopped. It was just one thing after another right now. First Naruto runs off without saying a word, and later she had felt the blonde's demonic energy. Then it seemed Nirvana was going to fire, but the weapon stopped short and the whole structure had fallen to the ground.

"Is everyone alright?' Erza asked and her response was a couple of groans. They were all tired, and she knew it. Right now, she needed to make sure her guild-mates were alright.

 **BOOM!**

"What!?" Erza gasped when the crippled tower in the middle of the destroyed city exploded, and the remains of the once proud tower ceased to exist.

"Erza-San, Bee-San is gone." Wendy said meekly and Erza groaned. What was with these ninjas and leaving without warning them beforehand.

* * *

"*Cough! Cough!* Juvia, are you okay!?" Lucy waved her hands around in an attempt to clear the smoke.

"Somehow..." The water mage answered weakly.

When the smoke cleared, they gawked at the sight before them. There was nothing left of Nirvana, only piles of rubble remained of the once great ruins.

"Ah, there's Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said and pointed off in the distance.

The ninja could be seen off in the distance going on a rampage, destroying stones and tree alike.

"Naruto... What happened?" Lucy watched worriedly as the teen continued to his destruction spree.

"It was probably Nirvana, messin with his mind! Makin all these friend's her musta put him in a bind!"

"Wah!" Lucy jumped in surprise when Bee's voice was suddenly behind her. "Don't sneak up on people like that! When did you get here!?"

"Naruto-Sama is being affected by Nirvana?" Juvia asked.

Lucy faltered. 'Ignored!?'

The rapper nodded sagely. "We jinchuuriki can't be heartless! To take on our beasts, we must first embrace our darkness!"

Lucy looked at the dark-skinned ninja skeptically. "Wait, we? What is that supposed to mean?"

Bee looked at the girl with a straight face and pointed to his forehead protector. Lucy was puzzled for a second before she put the pieces together. "Eh!?"

Juvia watched Naruto with a saddened expression, he looked like he was in so much pain. She cursed her inability to help her beloved. 'If only Juvia was stronger…'

* * *

 **In Naruto's Mindscape...**

"Huh?" Naruto found himself in the Kyuubi's sewer, only this time he was in a large and open room. Almost like the one with the cage, but the cage and the demon fox himself were nowhere to be found.

"Oi! Fox! Where are you? I was just about to kick that guy's ass, what do you want!?"

The demon in question didn't answer, instead he heard the voice that had been in his head behind him.

"The Kyuubi is taking care of that guy for us, so now we can have our long-awaited chat."

Naruto turned around and saw himself across the room, it was like he was looking in a mirror. Only his reflection had black eyes and red pupils. "Ah! Me!?" He shouted in disbelief.

"Yo." The person said as he began to walk forward.

'Who is this guy? He looks just like me...' Naruto thought as the lookalike stopped right in front of him. "Is this a prank you stupid fox!? I don't have time for this right now!"

"Of course you don't have time for me, gotta protect your friends right?" The person grinned. "This isn't a prank. I'm you're true self, you're inner darkness."

True self? What was this guy talking about? Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion. "You're not making any sense... But I really gotta go and make sure Lucy and Juvia are alright-"

"Don't you see? The fact that you're so urgent to leave just proves how attached you've become of this place." The inner Naruto stated. "If you care for these people so much, then why do you keep thinking you have to leave?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "If you really are the "true me" then you should already know why we have to go back."

The copy scoffed. "Because Konoha's our home? We have friends waiting for us? Our promises? What a joke! How can we know for sure they aren't just using us? If they really trust us? Just until recently, everyone treated us like an outcast! And you want to go back to all of that and abandon your true friends here!? You imposer!" Dark Naruto screamed and lunged forward with a fist cocked back.

Naruto growled and blocked the incoming punch. What was with this guy, talking trash about his friends and home like that? "You're the imposer!" He yelled back and the two fought blow for blow.

* * *

"Gah!" Naruto awoke and shot straight up, surprising those around him.

"Naruto-Sama!" Juvia yelled and tackled the whiskered teen.

"Ouch! Juvia, that kinda hurts..." The water mage apologized and got off of him. Why was he so sore?

Lucy looked him over. "Are you okay? After you lost control, Bee showed up and stopped you. We're lucky Wendy and the others showed up, your whole body was covered in burns." She wanted to ask him about Bee, but that could wait until later.

Ah, now Naruto remembered. He lost control of himself and fought that lookalike. The Kyuubi had taken over while he was out, that explained hi soreness. Naruto nodded to his fellow blonde before looking at Wendy and managed a grin. "Thanks for healing me Wendy-Chan, I owe you one." Those burns from using the Kyuubi's chakra really sucked.

The little girl poked her fingers together shyly and shook her head. "N-no. It's the least I could do." But she was surprised how fast he had healed. The burns had healed themselves almost immediately after she began her healing magic.

Taking a look around, it seemed that everyone was here. Some were doing their own thing while others were just resting. Naruto sighed. "I'm guessing it's all over then?" He said laid back down and closed his eyes, he really was exhausted. Who knows how many times he had used Sage Mode during this mission.

Lucy gave out a sigh of her own and plopped down onto the grass. "Yeah, and thank goodness. I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life!"

Naruto laughed. "You two did great, defeating an Oración Seis member like that."

Wendy gasped. "Lucy-San and Juvia-San defeated an Oración Seis member? Wow, is everyone in Fairy Tail really powerful? Naruto-San is also strong and so is Erza-San! Fairy Tail really is amazing!"

Lucy laughed awkwardly. "Well... Erza and Naruto are special cases."

While the girls began to talk about Fairy Tail, Naruto got up and internally groaned from how sore he was. He walked passed Bee and sent him a thankful nod. After getting a returning nod, the blonde continued over to Erza, who was currently speaking with Jellal. "Yo." He greeted, getting both of their attention.

Erza smiled. "Glad to see you're okay Naruto, you had me worried for a second there."

"You know better than anyone it takes a lot more than that to put me down." Naruto took a seat next to the knight and focused his attention on Jellal. "So, what are you going to do?"

The ex-council member looked away, as if he were ashamed of something. "I don't know... I'm afraid of regaining my memories. I did all of those things..."

"Jellal..." Erza put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Naruto grimaced when he saw the pain in Erza's face, this whole Jellal situation was really tearing her apart. After a long moment of thinking, he sighed. "Why don't you come to Fairy Tail?"

Jellal looked at the blonde with wide eyes. "What?"

Erza looked at him with a similar expression.

The jinchuuriki continued. "Well, I mean... You don't really seem all that evil to me anymore, and I'm a strong believer of second chances… Besides, I'm sure if we explain the whole situation, old man Makarov would understand."

Tears started forming in Erza's eyes. She didn't know Naruto was this kind, to offer aid to someone that was once his enemy. It truly surprised her.

Jellal was completely taken aback. "You would go so far for me? Even after everything I did?"

Naruto suddenly hardened his face and Jellal flinched. "I'll never forgive you for making Erza cry like that." He said sharply before relaxing and scratching his cheek awkwardly. "But you are one of Erza's friends and helping you out would make her happy..."

'Naruto...' Erza thought and wiped the tears from her eyes. She then faced Jellal and smiled. "It's decided then. You'll come with us to Fairy Tail and we'll help you recover your memories."

"Meeeeeeeeenn~!" They heard Ichiya scream. The man was plastered against a barrier and was trying to get out. "I need to use the restroom!"

"Nobody move! We are from the newly reformed council!"

Naruto groaned. They never got a break, did they?

A mob of rune knights circled the group of mages and a black-haired man with glasses and white clothes walked up to the front. "I am the head of the fourth custody enforcement unit. My name is Lahar."

The news of there being a new council surprised everyone.

Seeing as he had their attention, the head rune knight continued. "Our purpose is to arrest the Oración Seis. The man code named Hoteye, please come on through."

Jura looked ready to defend his newly found friend, but was stopped by the ex-Oración Seis member himself. "Richard-Dono..."

The blocky man sighed. "It's alright, Jura. My good nature may have just awoken, but it does not erase my sins from the past. In order to start anew, I must make things right."

The wizard saint frowned but nodded. "If that is the case, then I'll find your brother in your place. What is his name?"

Naruto grinned, he was starting to really like that Jura guy.

"Really!? Thank you, his name Wally Buchanan." Hoteye said.

Erza's eyes widened. "Wally Buchanan? I know that man." She said and the two men looked at her in surprise. "Really!?"

The red-head nodded. "He is a friend of mine. Last I heard, he was traveling across the continent."

Richard's eyes began to water up and everyone smiled at the happy scene. "Thank you... Thank you!"

The knights then proceeded to shackle the man up and take him to the carriage. "Now then, for the other reason we are here... Infiltrating the council, causing its destruction, firing Etherion! Jellal, you are under arrest for federal treason!"

Naruto closed his eyes while everyone else gasped.

"Please wait! Jellal doesn't have any memories! He doesn't remember any of that!" Wendy fruitlessly tried as they put the shackles on Jellal.

Lahar shook his head. "That is no cause for pardon." He said before turning to one of the other knights. "Release the spell."

"Yes sir!" The knight said and the barrier around the mages faded.

"B-but!" Wendy sobbed and Jellal grinned at her.

"Don't worry about me Wendy-Chan, go back to your guild and keep having fun." With that, he continued to walk to the carriage. He stopped next to Lahar when he spoke though.

"Are you sure that is all you want to say? Your sentence will most likely be death or life in prison, you will never see these people again."

Jellal's expression never changed. "Yes."

Lucy gasped. "That's just..."

"Cruel..." Juvia finished.

Jura frowned. "I do not like this. Arresting a good man is unjust."

"The man with the tat tried to help us stop Nirvana~! Giving him up like that, don't wanna~!" Killer Bee agreed and stepped forward aggressively.

The mages looked like they wanted to take the man back, with force if needed, and the rune knights began to back off.

Lahar looked at the glaring mages and put his hand up. "I apologize, but this man has committed crimes, memory of it or not."

Naruto looked at Erza and noticed that she was trembling. 'Erza..' He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

Somehow, that smile of his gave her hope. It was a smile that said: "Don't worry, just leave everything to me". Erza managed to smile back, Naruto really was someone you could count on.

But what happened next shocked her.

"You may take Jellal away." Naruto said with a neutral expression.

"Naruto!?" Lucy said, surprised. She expected him of all people would be against this whole thing.

Seeing everyone giving him strange looks, he sighed. "It sucks, but this is the council we're dealing with. Messing with them will only bring us trouble, and I don't think Jellal wants that either. Isn't that right, Jellal?"

Everyone looked to Jellal to see him nod. "I'm not going to resist."

Erza lowered her head, Naruto was right. Jellal, no matter how much she hated it, needed to go. She couldn't be so selfish as to dragging the others into getting in trouble just for her.

Lahar looked at Naruto with mild interest. "What is your name?"

Naruto kept his neutral expression and answered. "Naruto Uzumaki of Fairy Tail."

* * *

 **Sometime Later...**

"I feel really bad for Erza..." Lucy said with her head rested on her knees.

After the rune knights had taken Jellal and Hoteye, everyone had decided that since the mission was over, it was time to return to their respective guilds. Wendy and Charla were with them since they decided to see the little girl and the cat back to their guild.

Juvia nodded. "Yes. It is very sad to watch someone dear to you get taken away without being able to do anything. Knowing that it's the last time you will ever see that person again."

Lucy sighed and noticed Naruto was missing. Maybe he left to find Erza, since she wasn't here either.

* * *

Erza remembered the day she had met Jellal, back in the Tower of Heaven. How he had picked her name because of her hair, Scarlet.

Tears ran freely down her face. She lost her friend not once, but twice now. "Jellal..."

"Erza."

"Leave me be..." She sniffled when she heard Naruto's voice. "I want to be alone for now."

Naruto sighed. "Man, and to think I went to all of that trouble just to get this guy for you too..."

Erza turned to face to teen. "What are you-!" She gasped.

Standing next to Naruto, was Jellal.

* * *

 **A/N: Before anyone asks, yes, that is the real Jellal. Not a Shadow Clone. That would be mean! XD**

 **I hope you all had a great holiday! I did myself!**

 **To those that are wondering what the six voices that Cobra heard in Naruto were, they were Naruto himself, Kurama, Kushina,** **Asura(Since Cobra's hearing magic is said to be able to hear one's very soul), and Gerotora(The Key Toad), and none other than Naruto's true self(Dark Naruto).**

 **Like always, review or P.M. me to let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	17. Peaceful Times Are Back, Right?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 4/18/2017**

* * *

"Ah, I'm tired..." Lucy complained. "I can't wait to get home and take a shower." She looked around the ship taking them to Hargeon Town. Naruto was sitting at the front of the ship and seemed to be meditating. Juvia was talking with Wendy and Charla. Erza was sitting with Jellal, and she looked quite happy and it put a smile on the celestial spirit mage. 'I'm glad Erza's okay. Still... I can't believe we're bringing Jellal back to Fairy Tail with us.' Honestly, it was one thing after another with this guild.

After the whole fiasco with the with the council, they were all taking a break before going to Cait Shelter. Then out of nowhere, Naruto and Erza come back with Jellal. It had been a surprise to all of them, but Naruto had explained that he had everything under control. He had apparently tracked down the counsel's carriage, replaced Jellal with a shadow clone, then had the shadow clone make it look like Jellal had broken free and escaped.

Then later, when they had arrived at Cait Shelter, master Roubaul had revealed that he was from the Nirvit tribe from four hundred years ago and the sole survivor. Everyone else in the guild had been illusions created for Wendy's sake.

Lucy sighed and looked at the sky. 'Things really are crazy when you're a member Fairy Tail, huh?'

"Hey, Lucy."

She looked up to see Naruto take a seat next to her. "Hey Naruto, feeling better?" The ninja had been a little off since the end of their mission. He wouldn't say what was bothering him, so she assumed it had something to do with what he had talked about with Killer Bee.

Apparently, the rapping shinobi was from the Elemental Nations, and the cause was a scroll as well. But from the looks of things, he must not have had an idea on getting home. It all made Lucy wonder, was that the only thing had they talked about?

Naruto leaned back and stretched. "Yeah, I feel great! It sucks that my Sage cloak was shredded though..." He moped and pulled out what was left of the red cloth. Why did the Kyuubi's chakra always have to destroy his cloak!?

Lucy looked at the sobbing ninja's appearance with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't only his cloak that was worn out, but most of his clothes have seen better days. There were small rips all over the orange and black fabric, but the most noticeable one was the large tear on his shoulder. It was most likely from one of his fights with the Oración Seis. "Don't you think it's time you get some new clothes Naruto?"

Naruto looked at Lucy like she had grown a second head. "Eh!? No way! I doubt the stores in this world have anything that could come close to how awesome my clothes are!"

"But your clothes are torn to shreds, and if it's orange your concerned about-" Lucy tried but her fellow blonde wasn't having any of it.

"Nope! I'll just ask Mira-Chan to stitch em up like usual."

Lucy sighed in defeat. Why was this guy so stubborn about his clothes?

"...Hey." Naruto suddenly said after a moment of silence, causing Lucy to look at him strangely.

"What is it?"

The whiskered teen poked his fingers together awkwardly. "Before the mission, you were kinda giving me the cold shoulder... Did I do something to make you mad?"

Lucy blinked. Was she mad at him? Oh yeah, they had been through so much that she had nearly forgotten. If she was being honest with herself, it wasn't Naruto that she had been mad at, but herself. Lucy was angry at herself because of the thought that somewhere, deep down, she had created feelings for Naruto.

Lucy sighed. "I wasn't really mad at you. I was just a little angry with myself about something, sorry for giving you a hard time."

"Oh, is that so?" Naruto said before crossing his arms. "Well what's been bothering you? If you don't mind me asking."

"N-nothing that concerns you!" Lucy said rather heatedly and shoved the teen playfully.

"Hehe, okay. Just remember to ask for help if you need it. We're friends after all, and that's what friends do!" Naruto said and grinned a toothy grin.

Lucy's cheeks burned, Naruto and his stupid grin!

"Maybe I really do..." She started but clamped her mouth shut when Naruto gave her a strange look.

"Hm? Did you say something?"

Lucy's blush deepened. "N-nothing! But you know, I can't believe I got three more keys! And from the golden Zodiac to boot, hahaha!" She laughed awkwardly, crying to herself internally. 'I'm such an idiot! Almost saying something like that out loud!'

Naruto continued to look at her with a raised eyebrow before laughing. "Oh yeah that's right, did you make a contract with them yet?" Apparently the Oración Seis member that Lucy and Juvia had fought was also a Celestial Spirit mage, and when the rune knights arrested the dark mage, it had canceled the contract between the girl and her spirits.

"No, not yet. I was planning on doing that once we got back." Lucy said sighed, she could really use a nice long soak in the tub right about now.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

"Congratulations on defeating the Oración Seis!" Everyone in the guild cheered as the group walked through the doors.

Naruto put up two fingers and snickered. "We're back! Man, I'm hungry... Mira-Chan! Can I have some-"

"Naruto! Fight me!" Natsu roared and jumped at the ninja with his fists on fire. "It's not fair that you get all the action! So fight me!"

"I'm not really in the mood for a fight right now Natsu, maybe later." Naruto said and grabbed onto a part of Natsu's arm that wasn't on fire and redirected him towards the door.

Makarov laughed, spilling some of his drink on the bar he was sitting on. "Welcome back you fools! Everyone, let's party!" He yelled and the celebration had begun.

Naruto joined in the cheer, saying hello to some of the guild members before noticing Erza walking towards the guild master with the three newcomers in tow. "Oh, Erza. I can talk to the old man, I was the one who started all of this after all."

Erza turned to him and shook her head. "That won't be necessary. There are matters that I would like to discuss with the master myself. Go get some food, you must be hungry after the long trip." She said before continuing to lead the others to the wizard saint, a small smile adorning her lips. 'Besides, you've already done enough... Thank you.'

Taking another swing from his cup, Makarov noticed Erza walking towards him with some people behind her. A masked man that looked strangely familiar, a girl, and... a female Happy?

"Master, we are back from our mission." The S-class mage said with a slight bow.

"Yes, good job. I see you brought back more than you left with?" He said and gestured to the three guests.

Erza nodded. "Ah, yes. You see, this person is actually-"

"Naruto! I said fight me! I won't take no for an answer!" Natsu declared and ran back in through the doors towards the ninja.

Naruto sighed. "Look Natsu, I'm really not in the mood for... Eh?" Natsu had stopped dead in his tracks, a look of terror striking the pink haired boy's features. Daring to turn around, Naruto found Erza glaring death in his direction.

The two began to sweat profoundly under the red headed woman's gaze.

"Natsu, we just got back and we're tired. No fighting today, understood?"

"A-aye!" Natsu said and the killer intent was gone, as if it were never there to begin with.

Lucy watched as the normally hyper teen quietly sat down at a table. 'Erza really is amazing...' She noticed Juvia had disappeared. Where did that crazy girl go?

Naruto sighed and sat down with Natsu, Erza really was one of the scariest girls he had ever met. "Sorry Natsu, but I'm really sore from the mission. I promise to spar with you some other time."

"Yeah yeah, fine..." Natsu grumbled before sitting down and sulked to himself.

Naruto chuckled. "I'll fight you tomorrow, how does that sound?"

This seemed to lift the boy's spirits and he pounded his fists together. "Sounds good to me, later!" Standing up, the hyperactive mage left to go pick a fight with a certain ice wielder.

"Man, it feels good to be back in the guild! I think a vacation is in order!" Lucy said and took a seat next to her partner.

Naruto hummed in thought. A vacation did sound nice after their battle against the Oracion Seis.

"Naruto-Sama, your ramen is done!" Juvia chirped and placed a bowl of noodles on the table. "Juvia made it herself, just for you!"

Naruto turned to her and grinned. "Thanks Juvi-!" He choked on his words when he saw what the girl was wearing, and Lucy had a similar reaction.

Juvia was wearing what was, quite frankly, a skimpy maid outfit complete with a frilly skirt.

"J-Juvia? What are you doing?" Naruto asked while holding back a nose bleed. This was just like getting hit by one of his sexy jutsus, he just hadn't expected this!

Juvia sat down next to Naruto and picked some noodles out of the bowl with chopsticks. She gently blew on the noodles before bringing them towards Naruto's mouth. "Naruto-Sama... Say Ahhh..."

Lucy watched the scene play out before her, completely baffled. 'What is with this girl!?'

"Is Juvia doing it right Mira-San?" Juvia suddenly asked and Lucy turned around to find Mirajane giving the girl a thumbs up.

'Mira-San!?' Lucy thought with a slight look of betrayal before noticing something in the corner of her eye. The fight that Natsu had started with Gray on the other side of the bar was slowly starting to make its way over to them.

Natsu knocked Gray into Elfman, who threw Warren into Max, and the two bumped into the table Naruto and the girls were sitting at.

 **Crash!**

The bar went silent when as Naruto's ramen hit the floor, the bowl shattering as its contents spilled everywhere.

'Oh boy, here it comes...' Lucy thought and swiftly left to go search for cover.

"Oh no, Naruto-Sama's ramen!" Juvia gasped and started cleaning the mess. "Juvia didn't even get to feed Naruto-Sama a single bite..."

Naruto slowly stood up, his bangs shadowing his eyes from view. "What a waste..." He looked down at Warren and Max with a neutral expression, causing the two to sweat bullets. "You just soiled the food of the gods... YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED!" Naruto grabbed the screaming boys by their collars and threw them across the bar in different directions. "Who else was involved in this madness!?"

Natsu grinned, his fists bursting into flames. "Alright, Naruto's in! I'm all fired u-Wah!" He didn't even get to finish his trademark sentence when Naruto was suddenly in front of him.

Grabbing the whaling teen by the leg, Naruto used swung him around like weapon to swat down some of the nearby mages.

"Oh shit! Naruto's gotten serious!" Gray rolled out of the way just as Naruto threw Natsu in his direction. The pinked haired dragon slayer bounced off the ground and onto the railing of the second floor, right next to Gajeel who was watching the bar fight with a smirk on his face.

"Gihihi! You got beat pretty easily, Salamander." Gajeel laughed and Natsu groaned. "Ugg... I don't feel so good..."

The metal dragon slayer watched as people were thrown all around the bar hall. 'So, Uzumaki's back huh?'

" **Cut it out you fools!"** Makarov roared in his giant form and everyone ceased fighting.

Naruto dropped a battered Elfman to the ground and coughed into his hand. "Sorry about that gramps, I guess I got a little carried away..."

Shrinking down to his original size, Makarov sighed. "We have a couple new members, so make them feel welcome!"

Wendy stepped forward with Charla right beside her. "H-hello everyone! I'm Wendy, and this is Charla. Please take good care of us!" She said with a bow and was instantly swarmed by the guild members, much to their surprise.

Mirajane cleared some space for the little girl and knelt down. "I assume Charla uses the same magic as Happy, but what kind of magic do you use Wendy?"

"Wah! Look Charla, it's the real Mirajane!" Wendy gasped and looked at her feline friend.

"Hold on a second! Just who is this Happy that everyone keeps comparing me to!?" Charla demanded.

Just as she finished her sentence, the doors to the guild swung open and a blue cat with wings flew in carrying a rather large fish.

"Look Natsu! I caught this big fish all by myself!" Happy stopped when he saw Charla, hearts appearing in his eyes. Flying up to the white cat, he offered the fish he was holding. "Hi, I'm Happy the Nekomander. Want some fish?"

Charla looked at the male cat with a look of disinterest, then at the fish, before turning away in a huff. "I don't like fish."

Laughing at the felines, Wendy took a deep breath before revealing her magic to everyone. "I'm a sky dragon slayer." She said and everyone cheered, taking the little girl by surprise.

"Another dragon slayer!?" A guild member said.

"With Natsu and Gajeel, that makes three dragon slayers in our guild!" Another said while counting with his fingers.

"And to think that dragon slaying magic is so rare!"

Wendy smiled brightly. They had believed her instantly! 'So this is Fairy Tail… Everyone here is so nice!'

Watching the little dragon slayer laugh with joy, Naruto couldn't help but smile. 'Good for you Wendy-Chan...' He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose everyone that you cared about in the blink of an eye like she had, so he was glad she was having fun.

Naruto felt eyes on him and looked up to find Gajeel smirking down at him next to Natsu, who was still slung over the rails. The iron man let out a bark of laughter before walking away, earning a frown from the shinobi. 'What's he laughing at?'

"What was that all about?" Lucy asked while coming out from her protected area.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know, the weirdo was just laughing to himself up there."

Lucy looked up at Natsu and sweatdropped. "Is he alright? He looks like he's about to hurl." Though it was to be expected, with Naruto spinning him around like a rag-doll.

"Naruto, Lucy. May I have a word?"

The two blondes turned around to find Erza standing behind them with her arms crossed.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah sure, how did everything go with the old man?"

"Master is speaking with him right now, but..." They were taken aback when the female knight suddenly bowed. "I apologize for how helpless I was during the mission! I did nothing but worry you all in the end. So please, hit me!" She declared and braced herself.

"I-it's fine Erza! You were poisoned so it couldn't be helped." Lucy tried but Erza shook her head.

"That does not excuse it! Naruto was also poisoned, was he not? And then I selfishly left without saying a word, those are acts that deserve punishment!"

Lucy was about to protest again when Naruto walked forward, a mischievous glint shined in his eyes.

"If Erza wants to be punished, let her be punished." He said and walked up to the red head. 'Man I'm going to regret this...'

Erza shut her eyes and prepared for the strike.

 **Smack!**

"Eep!"

The whole guild went silent after what they had just witnessed.

Naruto had spanked Erza.

'Naruto, what are you thinking!? This is Erza we're talking about!' Lucy thought to herself and dove back into cover. She knew what was going to happen next and didn't want to be in the middle of it.

The other guild members began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Did Naruto just slap Erza in the butt!?"

"Does he have a death wish?!"

Naruto, seemingly proud of his word, prepared for what came next. 'I know I'm going to get pounded, but I couldn't let such a prank just slide...'

Erza coughed into her hand, a slight blush adorning her cheeks. "N-no... It's what I wanted, thank you Naruto."

"EH!?" They all shouted and stared at the shinobi in disbelief. Did Erza really just thank Naruto for spanking her!?

'Erza!?' Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing herself.

"Naruto-Sama, no fair! Juvia wants to be spanked as well!" Juvia whined and wiggled her butt towards the baffled ninja, causing some of the male members to glare at the blonde with jealousy.

Naruto wasn't paying attention though, and he continued to stare at his hand. "...This is a magic hand..." He then turned to Lucy, who unconsciously took a step back upon noticing his gaze.

"W-what?" She stuttered, growing nervous with the way her partner was looking at her.

Naruto grinned mischievously and slowly started moving towards her. "Hey Lucy... I wanna try something."

Lucy gulped and ran away. "No way! Stay back!"

Everyone laughed as Naruto playfully chased after Lucy, with a whining Juvia not far behind them.

Makarov sighed, what a troublesome bunch of kids. 'Well, it seems like it'll be peaceful for the time being...' He pulled out a familiar scroll from behind the counter. 'I guess now would be a good time to tell the brat what I found out.'

* * *

 **Later That Night...**

"Oh man, I'm beat! We sure did a lot in last couple days, didn't we?" Naruto said while stretching out on his couch/bed. "I'm just glad we finally get a chance to rest."

"Hey, have you heard from your home at all lately? I know you send them weekly messages, but I was just wondering." Lucy asked while drying her hair, having just gotten out of the bathroom.

Naruto thought about it for a second and rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it, I haven't heard back from them since the first time... Though it is really busy over there. Everyone must be pitching in to rebuild the village." His frown turned into a sad smile. "I wonder how they're all doing?"

Lucy frowned. 'He really misses his home, doesn't he?' She needed to cheer him up somehow, but what?

"Alright, it's settled!" Naruto suddenly said, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts.

"What's settled?"

The shinobi snickered and crossed his arms. "Tomorrow, I'm going to learn magic!"

 **POOF!**

Just as Naruto finished his declaration, a plume of smoke appeared and revealed a small toad carrying a scroll.

"Message from the Leaf." The toad said and handed the sage the scroll.

"Well it's about time! Thanks!" Naruto said and took the scroll, opening it without a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you for bringing that message." Lucy said with a bow. "It's been awhile since he last heard from you guys, you all must be rather busy."

The toad looked at the girl questioningly. "What are you talkin about girlie? It's only been a week. Well, I'll be taking my leave." With that said, the toad vanished in a puff of smoke.

A week? That couldn't have been right, it had to have been a couple of months since the last letter. Lucy was about ask Naruto when she noticed the grim look on his face. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer and kept reading, his expression then changed to a n excited one. Putting the scroll down, Naruto took a deep breath before looking at Lucy with a neutral expression. "Well, I got some good news, and bad news..."

"…What's the bad news?" Lucy asked skeptically.

"There's a criminal organization in my world known as the Akatsuki, and they've been hunting down the tailed beasts." Naruto explained and unconsciously gripped his stomach, right where the Kyuubi's seal was. "Apparently, they found a way to get here."

Lucy gasped. "How's that possible? Do you think they have something to do with the scroll that brought you here?"

Naruto's grip on his stomach tightened. "I don't know. Granny Tsunade said it might just be a hoax to scare us, but I'm gonna tell the old man about this just in case."

"And the good news?"

The whiskered teen's face exploded with joy. "Granny Tsunade said that they found a way to get here and she's sending a team for support! The team will be led by my teacher, Kakashi-Sensei! Man, I can't wait to see them ya know!?"

Lucy's eyes widened. Some of Naruto's friends were going to be coming to this world? How were they going to do that? Though, seeing how happy he was about being able to see them, it made her happy. "Well, we better go to sleep. We'll tell the master about all of this and see if Fairy Tail has any magic you can learn in the meantime."

Naruto nodded his head and yawned, a sudden wave of exhaustion falling over him. "Yeah that sounds good, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Lucy said and turned off the lamp.

* * *

Naruto fluttered his eyes open, but everything was still blurry. He could tell he was in a familiar forest, with a giant tree in the distance.

"Hello again." A familiar voice came from above where he was laying.

Naruto looked up and his vision became a little clearer. The little girl with the long blonde hair from before was smiling down at him, he noticed that his head was rested on her lap. "You again... er... what was your name again?"

The girl giggled and Naruto could feel the heat raising in his cheeks.

"My name is Mavis Vermilion, and I'm going to help you."

Wasn't that the name that was on the grave? "Umm... help me with what? Oh! Are you going to teach me magic!?"

Mavis giggled again before shaking her head. "No silly, I'm going to help you with your tailed beast of course!"

"Eh?" This little girl was going to help him with the giant fuzzball? How did she plan on doing that?

The forest around them suddenly caught on fire, the flames slowly spreading everywhere.

"Uh-oh, it seems he knows that I'm here. And he's kicking me out too, grumpy old fox!" Mavis pouted before turning back to Naruto. "I guess our time is up, I'll be here when you're ready to master the fox's power!" She said and started fading away.

Naruto's vision began to darken. "Wait! Do you know why I'm here or how to get back? How do I find you?"

"All your questions will be answered the next time we meet. I'll be waiting at Fairy Tail's roots." Mavis said before she vanished and everything went dark.

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

"Fairy Tail's roots... What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto mumbled to himself while he and Lucy walked to the guild.

"How long have you been having these dreams?" Lucy asked. Naruto had explained that he'd been having strange dreams with a little girl that called herself Mavis Vermilion. Something about that name sounded familiar. It was at the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't remember it.

"Well, I actually only had a dream like that one other time. I was gonna tell old man Makarov about it, but I kinda forgot..." Naruto admitted while sticking out his tongue and bopping his head playfully.

Lucy deadpanned. This guy really was helpless.

After walking through the entrance of Fairy Tail, they pushed open the doors to the bar hall and bid everyone good morning. They stopped at the counter where a familiar white haired beauty awaited them.

"Good morning Mira-Chan, where's the old man?" Naruto asked.

Mirajane greeted them with a smile and pointed up-stairs. "Master is in his office, he's been expecting you actually."

Naruto waved her thanks and ran up the stairs to the second floor. He made his way to Makarov's office and knocked.

"Come in."

Naruto opened the door to find the old man sitting behind his desk.

"Oh, hello Naruto. How are you this morning? I hope you are doing well?" Makarov cheerfully asked with a wave of his hand.

"Hey gramps, I'm doing fine. Mira-Chan said you were expecting me?" Naruto asked and took a seat in the chair in front of the master's desk.

Makarov nodded. No longer cheerful and now serious, he pulled out the thing responsible for bringing Naruto into the world of magic.

'The scroll...' Naruto thought as Makarov placed it down onto the desk. "Did you figure anything out? Like, where it came from or something?"

The wizard saint nodded. "Yes, I asked an old friend of mine to see if they could find anything out about this scroll. But it appears it's exactly as I was afraid of..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is it?"

Makarov looked at him dead in the eye. "This scroll was made by the Black Wizard Zeref himself."

Zeref... wasn't that the guy who made all those demons like Deliora and Lullaby? "Wait, why would he want to bring me here?"

"I don't know, Zeref was an evil mage from four-hundred years ago." Seeing the depressed look on the boy's face, Makarov decided to change topics. "What's that you got there? A message from home?"

Naruto looked down at the little scroll in his hands. "Oh yeah, that's actually why I wanted to talk to you in the first place. You see..."

After the blonde finished explaining the contents of the letter as well as Killer Bee, Makarov sat back in his chair and sighed. So, a terrorist organization is after the demon fox sealed up inside of him, and they found a way to hop dimensions. On top of that, the people from Naruto's village also found a way to get here and are coming to support him. Then there was also this Killer Bee person from Lamia Scale that was from the Elemental Nations, having been brought to Earthland by a similar scroll.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Sorry, I even brought someone who's wanted by the council back here..."

"Seriously, you're making me age faster boy." Makarov joked and Naruto laughed awkwardly. "So, did they say when they were coming?"

"They didn't give a specific time, just that it could be any day now." Naruto didn't have the slightest clue as to how they were going to get here, but who cares? He was going to see people from his home again! "Oh, I almost forgot. What's Jellal doing right now?"

* * *

 **Somewhere In Town...**

"Achoo!"

Jellal fixed the black veil covering most his face and sighed.

"Something wrong?"

Turning to his left, he found Erza looking at him in slight concern.

"Did you catch a cold? I'm sorry that we couldn't find a better place for you to sleep."

Jellal shook his head. "No, not at all. This mask was just a little itchy is all."

Erza hummed and they continued their walk towards the guild. They had rented a place for Jellal to stay the night prior, but only for the one night. Erza intended to make him work. "Once we get to the guild, we'll pick out a job for you to start out with."

The blue haired man nodded. He was a little nervous about doing work for Fairy Tail, not wanting to risk getting them into trouble with the council. But he felt that he owed them a huge debt and wanted to do all that he could to pay them back. 'Especially Naruto-San… From what Erza has told me, I owe him more than just my life.'

* * *

 **Back at the Guild...**

Lucy let out an exaggerated sigh and leaned forward onto the bar. She had finally come to terms with the fact that she had feelings for Naruto, but what now? It's not like she could just go and tell him, the ninja already had enough on his plate as it was.

"Hey Lu-Chan, what's got you so down in the dumps?" Levy asked and took a seat next to her seemingly depressed friend. "Is about Naruto?"

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Lucy mumbled and buried her face into her arms.

Levy laughed softly and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's kinda obvious, I think the only member in the guild that doesn't know is Naruto himself, he gives dense a whole new meaning."

"…It's that obvious, huh?" Letting out another sigh, Lucy sat up and looked over to where Naruto was at. He had come down with Makarov and they were currently talking with Mirajane. "I don't know what do... I'm finally accepting I have these kinds of feelings. But knowing if I tell him the truth, it would only cause him even more stress than he already has."

Levy frowned. 'Poor Lu-Chan... She's in a tight spot.' She looked over to where Naruto was and sweatdropped. "Juvia doesn't seem too bothered by that though..." At some point in their conversation, Juvia had come out from the kitchen and was trying to feed Naruto ramen again. "I understand what you mean Lu-Chan, but if you leave things as they are now, he might get stolen away before you know it."

"Yeah, but..." Lucy mumbled, but she knew Levy was right. "Okay, I've made up my mind!" With that said, Lucy stood up and started walking towards her target.

'Go get him Lu-Chan, you have my support!' Levy thought with a fierce expression.

As she drew closer, Lucy noticed that Cana was now sitting next Naruto. She looked to be try to get him to drink with her. 'Another powerful foe has appeared...'

Naruto sure was popular…

"Come on Naruto, don't be so stingy! Have a drink with me!" Cana whined while playfully pulling on the teen's jacket. "Sorry Cana, I don't really like alcohol..." Naruto nervously declined, only to be pulled on the other side by Juvia.

"Naruto-Sama~! Please allow Juvia to feed you the ramen before it gets cold!"

"Hey! Give Naruto some space, can't you see he's uncomfortable?" Lucy said while pointing an accusing finger at the two girls.

'Oh? She's making her move now?' Cana smiled slyly before grabbing Naruto's arm and putting it between her bust, earning a blush on the teen's face. "I was just trying to have a drink with a fellow guild member, what's wrong with that?" She said while feigning ignorance, looking at Naruto's still growing red face. 'Plus, I just can't help teasing this guy. He's just too adorable!'

Juvia seemed to have taken Cana's actions as a challenge, and proceeded to grab onto Naruto's free arm with a pout. "That's sneaky, Cana-San!" Wait, now that Juvia thought about it, this sort of thing wasn't new. Cana was always trying to get _her_ Naruto to drink with her. That must mean... "Another rival in love!"

Cana blinked for a second before bursting out laughing, all the while Naruto stared at the ramen sitting in front of him hungrily. 'I just want to eat my ramen...'

Lucy stared at the scene play out before her, a tick-mark slowly making its presence known on her forehead.

'Uh-oh, maybe I went a little too far?' Cana thought with a sweatdrop as Lucy began to quiver with anger.

"Oh my, what is going on here?" Mirajane walked over to the table and saw the look of hunger on Naruto's face as he stared at the now growing cold bowl of noodles. "Now, you should all leave Naruto alone to eat. The poor thing looks like he's starving!" As if to go along with what she said, Naruto's stomach gave out a loud growl.

"Ramen... Ramen..." Naruto moaned.

Cana laughed awkwardly and let go of his arm. "Sorry Naruto, my bad. But seriously, come have a drink with me later!" She said with a wink and walked off to find some booze.

Juvia's hold on Naruto's arm didn't budge.

"Juvia, I could use some in the kitchen. Would you be a doll and help me?" Mirajane asked sweetly and Juvia hesitated at first, but reluctantly let go as well and walked to the back of the bar.

"Mira-Chan..." Naruto said with anime tears streaming down his face.

The barmaid giggled. "Now, eat up! Juvia worked hard to make that for you, we wouldn't want her efforts to go to waste, now would we?"

Naruto shook his head and began to devour his food.

Lucy sent Mirajane a thankful look before noticing the expression on the girl's face as she watched Naruto scarf down his food. 'Don't tell me... Mira-San too?'

Feeling Lucy's eyes on her, Mirajane sent her a wink before walking off to the kitchen.

Lucy sighed and sat down next to the hopeless ramen addict. Something told her these next couple of days were going to be troublesome.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all had a great New Years! :D**

 **As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, review or P.M. me to let me know! I love hearing your thoughts on the story!**

 **I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S.: I updated the Naruto/Fairy Tail theme song remix I made awhile ago, and I think it sounds a lot better. It's a little dorky and I know it, but I love the music from both series and I also like to make music so I thought, why not? Let me know what you thought of the song if you ever get the chance to listen to it! XD**


	18. Dreams and Magic

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 4/18/2017**

* * *

"Did you just say, M-Mavis!?" Makarov sputtered, Naruto was telling him about some dreams he'd been having. But the girl he was talking about, it couldn't be...

Naruto sent the old man an odd look and nodded. "Yeah, it was Mavis Ver-something."

"Mavis Vermilion." Makarov finished. "Also known as Fairy Tail's founder and first master."

"EH!?" This was news to him, she didn't say like that in the dreams. "I guess it kinda makes sense, she did tell me to meet her Fairy Tail's roots or something." Wait a second, he saw her grave in his dream, didn't he? Did that mean that he was talking to a... g-g-g-ghost!?

"Naruto." Makarov suddenly said before the blond could freak out. "If what you are saying is true, then we must go to Tenrou Island as soon as possible."

Naruto leaned forward in his seat and grinned. "Sweet! When do we leave?"

The old man rubbed his chin in consideration. "Well, for the sake of preparations, I'd say at least a week."

"What!? What do you mean a week!? Why so long?"

Makarov cleaned his ear out before coughing into his hand. "Calm down boy, it takes time to set up preparations. People don't just go to Tenrou Island, it's Fairy Tail's holy ground. Besides, this will give you time to learn some magic, won't it?"

Naruto's face brightened a little before he leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Fine. I guess I can wait a little."

Makarov chuckled. 'He's just like a kid, this one.'

* * *

"I wonder what magic I should learn... It's gotta be something I can't already do with chakra." Naruto said and nodded to himself. "But where am I gonna learn magic? Or actually, who should I get to teach me magic?"

"Mmm-mph!" A muffled voice came from next to him.

Naruto turned to his side to look at the person beside him to find Natsu head first in the ground, his legs kicking the air comically. "Oh whoops, sorry Natsu I'll get you out of there." Naruto grabbed onto the teen's leg and pulled him out from the Earth. He had promised the dragon slayer a fight, so he gave him one. They had decided to go to Naruto's training field to spar.

Natsu spat out dirt while wiping his clothes. "Man, I was so close too..."

"No you weren't Natsu, it was a completely one-sided match." Happy said with a shake of his head. "Just face it, you can't beat Naruto, just like Erza."

"Shadup! I can beat Erza now, I'm way stronger than before!" Natsu shouted before sitting down in a fit. "What do you want to learn magic for anyways?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Everyone in the guild can use magic except for me. I'm from another dimension so it only makes sense, but since I can draw in Ethernano to myself for Sage Mode, why not learn a type of magic to go with it?"

"Do you even know how to use the magic you draw in by itself?" Happy asked with an incredulous look on his face.

Naruto scratched his cheek "Err... No, not really. But with a good teacher, I'm sure I could learn all of that in no time at all!"

"Did you ask the old man?" Natsu asked while picking dirt clumps out his hair.

"Yeah, I did. But he said that magic was easier to learn when taught so I should start out by having someone in the guild teach me. Since I have close to no knowledge on the stuff, it'd be pretty hard to learn by myself." Naruto explained.

"Hm hm, cause you're dumb." Natsu and Happy both said while nodding.

A tick mark grew on Naruto's forehead. "Putting that aside for now, ready for round two? Happy, you can join in as well."

The two started sweating when Naruto let out a couple dark chuckles as he slowly started walking towards them. "Come on Happy, let's run for it!" Natsu yelled and took off.

"Aye sir!" Happy sprouted his wings and picked his friend off the ground, just barely escaping the whiskered teen's grasp.

"Oh no you don't!" Naruto yelled and chased after the fleeting duo into town.

* * *

"Ugh... I can't believe I'm actually doing this..." Gajeel muttered under his breath. He'd been looking all over town for a cat, but not just any ordinary cat. It was going to be a cat that was cooler than that dopey blue one that the Salamander had, and the snobby white one that the new little girl had. "Hm?"

He could faintly hear the sounds of shouts coming just outside of town. Taking a peek outside of the alleyway he was in, Gajeel looked around and noticed Natsu flying over him. 'Salamander? Wasn't he fighting with-'

"I'm not done with you yet, Natsuuuu!"

Gajeel squinted his eyes. 'Uzumaki? This actually works out perfectly.' Stepping out of the alley and into the street, the iron dragon slayer crossed his arms and put on a smirk. "Hey, Uzumaki! It's time we finally settled our scores and-Guhah!" He didn't even get to finish his sentence when Naruto literally ran him right over.

'Was that Gajeel just now?' Naruto thought while looking over his shoulder. Come to think of it, Gajeel also knew dragon slaying magic like Natsu and Wendy didn't he? The blonde wondered if he'd be able to learn some of that ancient magic before shaking his head. "Nah!"

While learning dragon slaying magic would be awesome, he didn't think he would be able to learn it. Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy all learned their magic from their respective dragon parents, and it's not like he'd be able to find a dragon willing to teach him just like that. Laxus had a dragon lacrima put inside him, but those were extremely rare and Naruto wanted to learn some magic as soon as possible!

Towns people started to gather around Gajeel and his fallen form.

"Hey, are you okay lad?" An old man poked Gajeel on the back of his head and his body twitched.

"That boy just ran you over like he didn't even see you, sort of reminds me of Gildarts."

To everyone's surprise, Gajeel shot up and roared. "Grrrr... Uzumaki!" He then charged after the blonde ninja at full speed.

"Such energy, those mages of Fairy Tail." The towns people mused before going back to their own business.

"Is he still chasing us?" Happy asked and Natsu looked back. Naruto was now running on top of the buildings, and was looking right at them.

"Y-yeah, he is." Looking around in hopes for an escape, an idea formed in Natsu head as something caught his eye. "Happy, go down low!"

"But if we go down, Naruto will be able to reach us!" Happy protested but Natsu shook his head and grinned.

"Just trust me on this!" He said while looking at the form of Gray down below.

"Okay..." The blue cat said and reluctantly began to descend towards the ground.

Naruto, noticing the two going down, narrowed his eyes. 'What are they planning?' He jumped down from the rooftops and onto the street.

Natsu flew down, passed some people, then shouted just as he passed his ice wielding rival. "Gray quick, put up an ice shield!"

The raven-haired teen raised an eyebrow at the fleeting pair. "Huh? Why should I?"

"Just do it! Hurry, or he'll get you too!" Natsu yelled back.

Muttering under his breath, Gray turned around to see what the idiot was running from and noticed Naruto running towards him with a dark look on his face. 'Oh no…'

"So, you're going to help them escape, are you Gray!?"

The ice mage swore under his breath and slammed his right fist into his left hand, activating his magic. Everyone knew that once Naruto got like that, there was no stopping him. "Damn Natsu, dragging me into his mess... **Ice Make: Shield!** " A large wall of ice grew into existence in front of the mage. 'Heh, I made this one extra thick! Let's see you get through this Naruto!'

Looking at the wall of ice in front of him, Naruto smirked and Gray began to sweat. The wall wasn't going to hold, was it? "Ah shi-"

Naruto punched the ice barrier with a chakra infused punch, completely shattering it and causing Gray to fly into a pile of crates.

"Sorry Gray, better luck next time!" Naruto said as he passed the fallen mage. Ice make magic... No, Naruto didn't think he'd ask Gray to teach him.

Pushing the boxes off himself, Gray stood up and sucked his teeth. "What are those idiots doing? Whatever, it's probably not worth my time." He was about to walk off when Gajeel rushed passed him at full speed, almost knocking him down.

"Uzumaki!"

Gray shook his head. It seemed he wasn't the only victim, and probably not the last.

* * *

"Um, Erza? I thought we were going to go on a job?"

"We are."

Jellal sweatdropped. If they were going to accept a job request, then why were they sitting at a cafe table?

"Your cake, ma'am." A waitress said and placed a plate onto the table.

"Thank you." Erza said politely and looked at the delectable treat in front of her. "This cake is limited to this time of the year only, I've been waiting to try it since we returned from our previous mission."

Jellal smiled under his mask, so this was her reason for postponing their mission. How amusing.

Erza grabbed her fork and was about to cut off a bite sized piece when a familiar voice shouted.

"Come on Happy! Full speed ahead!"

"Aye sir!"

A blurred form of Natsu and Happy flew past the table Erza and Jellal were sitting at, a gust of wind picking up after them.

"Hm!" Erza's free hand flashed down onto the table like a bolt of lightning, her armored fingers making a cage over the small plate as her fingers sank into the wood. When everything settled, she sighed in relief and pulled her ingrained fingers out of the table. "That Natsu, always in such a hurry."

Jellal let a breath he didn't know he was holding, knowing full well just how terrifying Erza was when angered.

Then, without warning, Naruto zoomed past them at the speed of a train and the whole table was sent flying.

…

"NARUTO!"

'Erza?' Naruto glanced behind him and the red-head yelling at him from her seat. 'She uses requip magic, right?' As his mind wondered, he failed to hear the enraged girl's death threats. 'I can already do all that with sealing scrolls, so I guess that magic is out as well.' Picking up speed, Naruto turned back and waved. "Sorry Erza, I can't talk now! See ya!"

That's right, he had a pinked haired teen and a feline to catch! Why he was still chasing after them? Because it was fun, plain and simple. Naruto laughed to himself, it looked like they were heading towards the guild.

"Grr! That fool! When I get my hands on him..." Erza growled and was about to chase after him when she noticed her cake was now plastered all over her friend's face. Jellal was trying to wipe the desert off him without removing the mask but found it difficult to do so. "Ah! Let me help you!"

While Erza helped the poor man, Gajeel could be seen chasing after the culprits, anger clear as day on his features.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

"Then, if it's alright with you master, I will be off on this job." Freed said and handed the master a job request.

Makarov took the slip of paper and looked it over. "Okay then, have a safe trip."

Freed bowed. "Then, I'll be-"

"Get out of the way!"

Natsu burst in through the doors, shattering the wood to tiny splinters, and ran up to Lucy who was having a chat with Mirajane. "Natsu? What's wrong?" She stood up and asked before the teen grabbed her.

"Oh my." Mirajane said and moved to go clean up the now broken doors.

"Where's Natsu!?" Naruto demanded as he ran through the entryway and passed the barmaid.

"Lucy, stop Naruto!" Natsu all but pleaded.

"Eh? Eh?" Lucy said in confusion as to why the boy was hiding behind her of all people.

Naruto spotted his target and started creeping towards them. "So, taking a hostage are you?" He said while cracking his knuckles menacingly. "That's awfully cowardly of you."

"Who's a hostage!?" Lucy fumed but was ignored.

"I'm not holding her hostage!" Natsu denied. "Besides, I don't want to hear that coming from a ninja!"

Naruto sweatdropped and was about to retort when an angry shout was heard from the entrance.

"Uzumaki!" Gajeel roared as he ran into the guild, stopping right in front of the jinchuuriki. "You got some nerve running me over like that and ignoring my challenge!" He said with a growl.

Naruto got into a fighting stance and grinned widely. "You wanna fight? Alright, sounds like fun!"

"Sweet, a free-for-all! Count me in!" Natsu declared as his fists caught on fire, his fear of Naruto gone inn an instant.

Makarov sighed. Seriously, these kids were going to be the end of him. "Freed, if you would."

The green haired mage nodded and pulled out his sword. "Yes, master."

The combatants stared each other down while Lucy slowly snuck away to find cover. 'Why does this always happen!?'

Then, just as they lunged at each other, their magic suddenly stopped working.

"Huh?" Gajeel watched as his sword arm changed back to normal.

"You may not use magic without the master's permission while inside this enchantment." Freed read as the words appeared in the air above them, runes now surrounding them all.

Natsu lunged towards Naruto, who didn't seem to be paying attention. "Whatever! I'll still fight without magic-OOF!"

Makarov smacked the dragon slayer with an enlarged arm and onto the ground. He then coughed into his hand, getting everyone's attention. "Alright you fools, that's enough."

"Tch! Whatever... You owe me a fight Uzumaki." Gajeel spat and walked off.

Naruto stared at the green haired man as he talked with Makarov. 'It's that magic again...'

"…ey, is something wrong? Hello~? Earthland to Naruto!" Lucy waved a hand in front of the teen's face, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Lucy, what's up?"

Lucy pouted when Naruto turned his attention back to what he was looking at, she followed his gaze and found that he was staring at Freed. "He seems like a very responsible person, if not a little anti-social."

"Yeah." Naruto said absentmindedly. 'Freed, huh?' It was his magic that kept him inside the guild during that whole thing with Laxus wasn't it? No matter what he did, he couldn't do anything about it. If it weren't for Levy, he wouldn't have been stuck in the guild until it was all over. Maybe...

"Freed is really powerful, isn't he? To be able to stop all three of you like that, the Thunder God Tribe are really amazing." Lucy said before Naruto suddenly took off. "Hey! Don't just walk off while people are talking to you!"

"Sorry Lucy, I gotta go!" He said and chased after Freed, who was just leaving the guild. "Hey, Freed!"

Lucy sighed walked back to her table, it's a good thing Juvia had gone on a solo job today. Had the girl been here right now, she'd surely be rubbing this in her face right now.

Freed looked at Naruto and raised an eyebrow. "Naruto-San? Do you need something from me?"

The whiskered teen clasped his hands together in a polite fashion. "Teach me how to do that rune magic of yours, please!"

This took the stoic man by surprise. "You want to learn magic, and from me? Why?"

"Because I wanna be able to do all those cool runes and stuff, and you seem like you'd be a good teacher! So will you?" Naruto asked again expectantly.

"Um, I don't think I would be a suitable teacher..."

"Actually Freed, could I ask you to do it?" Makarov asked and jumped onto a nearby table. "This brat's been buggy me about learning magic and it's giving me a headache."

"...Well, if that is what the master wishes, then very well." Freed finally said and Naruto cheered.

"Alright, magic here I come!"

* * *

 **Training Field...**

"Dark Écriture: A visual magic that allows the user to write runes on surfaces or even in the air.' Freed read aloud from a book in his hands. Naruto sat in the grass and listened intently. "Different runes will bring forth different effects."

Naruto raised his hand. "This is a visual magic? Like, the runes come from your eyes?"

Freed nodded. "Yes. You use your fingers or an object to write out the runes where you are looking. I myself use a sword to write runes, like so." His eyes flashed black with a purple magic circle for pupils as he unsheathed his sword. Swiping it a few times, runes came into existence on the ground around the blond.

Naruto watched in fascination as the runes were written on the ground. When the foreign letters made a complete rectangle around him, words floated into existence. Having lived in this world for couple months now, he was able to read the language with little to no problem.

"Those who enter this enchantment cannot leave until the following answers have been answered..."

A couple questions that Naruto had no hope as to knowing the answers to appeared bellow the rule.

"Oh, don't tell me..." He noticed Freed had already started walking away. "Hey, wait a second! How am I supposed to answer these!?"

"With the books that are right next to you." Freed said without looking back. "I'm going on the job I accepted from the guild earlier. It shouldn't take that long, but it should be enough time for to read those books and answer the questions. Good luck."

Naruto sighed and plopped down onto the grass, with one of the books on runes and enchantments now in his hands. "Stupid Fried making read these stupid books..." He grumbled before an idea dawned in his head. "Wait, I know..."

Putting his fingers in a familiar hand sign, Naruto molded some chakra. "I don't have a lot of room, but there should be just enough for two or three clones to help read these books... **Kage Bushin no Jutsu!** "

…Nothing happened.

"...Eh?"

An additional rule made itself known that read:

 _He/she may not use any techniques that could aid in answering the questions._

Naruto just sat there and stared at the new rule with a dumb look on his face.

"FREED!"

Freed smiled in amusement as he continued to walk back towards the town.

* * *

 **Later That Night...**

Lucy sighed, she'd been doing that a lot lately. 'I wonder why?' She asked herself rhetorically.

"With all that sighing, you're starting to sound like an old lady." Gray joked and took a seat in front of her. "What's up? No wait let me guess, it's Naruto?"

Everyone really did know about that, didn't they? Ah what the hell, she didn't care anymore. "Yup, you guessed it. I just feel like he's been ignoring me lately. It's like he always has something to do, always on the move. Jerk..."

"Sounds like someone I know..." Gray watched as Natsu ran around the guild, picking fights with random members. "But that's just how he is, right? Though I just can't see what you and that Juvia girl see in that guy. He's strong for sure, but he's an airhead that does nothing but train and fight, like Natsu." He snorted. "No wonder the two get along so well, they're like brothers."

"That's not true." Lucy suddenly said, getting the ice mage to raise an eyebrow. "I-I mean, Naruto's always helping people even if it means not getting anything in return. He always puts his friends before himself and never goes back on his promises."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Gray agreed, remembering back when they had gone on the S-Rank mission at Garuna Island. How Naruto had helped not only him, but Leon as well.

"But he's still an airhead." Lucy added and they both laughed.

The newly built doors to the bar opened and Freed walked in with an extremely exhausted looking Naruto staggering behind.

Lucy immediately ran over to the teen and helped him to a chair. "Naruto! Are you okay!?"

"He should be fine after a good night's rest. We'll continue our training tomorrow, goodnight." Freed said left.

Was he grinning?

"You're learning from Freed? What did he make you do?" Gray wondered how hard the man's training could have been to leave a workaholic like Naruto in such a state.

"... books..." Naruto mumbled.

"Books?"

"... books … books, BOOKS!" Naruto suddenly yelled and shot up, surprising the two with the sudden burst of energy. "All that reading almost fried my brain! Damn that Freed! Even going as far as to seal off my Shadow Clones! I couldn't even use my storage scrolls to get some ramen! I haven't eaten all day!"

Lucy and Gray sent each other a look.

Naruto stomped over to the bar where Mirajane was currently cleaning some dishes and sat down.

The barmaid smiled warmly. "Hello Naruto, I couldn't help but overhear that you've been doing some training with Freed all day. You must be starving!"

Naruto nodded eagerly, after all the mental torture he'd gone through today, he was gonna go all out!

As Mirajane happily started up on Naruto's meal, Lucy and Gray took a seat on both sides of the starving ninja.

"So, you've been reading all day?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow. As long as she'd known Naruto, she hadn't seen him pick up a single book. Not including the sorcerer magazine, which she'd been hiding so he couldn't see what the current rumors were.

Naruto groaned and leaned forward onto the bar. "Yeah, and I wasn't able to use my Shadow Clones to help either..."

Gray snorted. "Sounds rough, you gonna quit?"

"Of course not! I vowed that I would learn magic no matter what it took, and I don't go back on my word! That's my Nindō, my ninja way!"

Lucy sweatdropped while Gray stifled another snort of laughter.

"W-what? What's so funny?"

Lucy shook her head and stifled a laugh of her own. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Look, your ramen's done."

Mirajane returned to the counter with a steaming hot bowl of noodles. She placed it in front of the now drooling teen and smiled. "Here you go, enjoy!"

"Thanks Mira-Chan, you're the best!" Naruto beamed and started wolfing down his food with record speed.

"There's plenty more where that came from." Mirajane giggled and went back to work.

"Oh yeah I just remembered, the twenty-four hour endurance race is in a couple days isn't it? Are you guys gonna do it?" Gray said while taking off his shirt, earning a smack from the female member of the little group.

"Don't strip in public!" Lucy scolded.

"Twenty-four-hour endurance race? *Slurp!* What's that?" Naruto asked while slurping down noodles, also earning a smack in the back of the head.

"Don't eat and talk!"

Gray rubbed his head and muttered something about nagging woman under his breath. "It's an annual event Magnolia does where mages run to a specific location and back, all within twenty-four hours."

"That sounds fun, I'm so going to join!" Naruto exclaimed and pumped his fist. "I'm gonna win this thing for sure!"

Lucy smiled slightly at her fellow blonde's enthusiasm.

Gray scoffed and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't count on it. Personally, I'm aiming for second." Gray said with a shrug and Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"Why is that?"

"Because Jet always dominates the race, he uses speed magic and all." The ice mage yawned and got up to leave, it was getting late. "I'm gonna call it a night, see ya."

Naruto and Lucy waved him goodbye before the ninja went back to inhaling his food. The celestial spirit mage rested her head on her palm as she watched him eat. "You really like ramen, don't you?"

Naruto swallowed before speaking, not wanting to feel the wraith of another "Lucy Chop". "Hell yeah! It's the food of the gods!"

Lucy laughed at her partner's undying love for cooked noodles and broth. "So is reading the only thing you did today?"

"No, we did other things too." Naruto said after drinking the rest of the soup in his bowl. "Freed also started helping me try to absorb magic by itself, without the natural energy and store it."

The girl raised an eyebrow, that sounded complicated. "So? Were you able to do it?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly and shook his head. "Nah, not yet. This is on a whole other level than mixing my chakra with the stuff. I even brought old man Fukasaku to help us out." He turned around on his stool and leaned back onto the bar. "They say there's so many possibilities with me learning how to harness magic by itself. As it is right now, I'm only going to be able use magic while in sage mode. But with enough training, I might be able to use magic anytime like you guys."

Lucy stared at the teen in front of her in awe, he was just going to keep on getting stronger, wasn't he? Compared to her...

Noticing the slightly sad look on Lucy's face, Naruto frowned. Now that he thought about it, the two of them hadn't gone an any jobs recently. They were a team weren't they? "Hey, after I'm done training tomorrow, do you wanna go on a mission?"

Lucy's face brightened a little. "...Just the two of us?"

Naruto grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Sure!"

"Oh my. Sorry to interrupt, but it is rather late." Mirajane said and giggled when the two jumped in their seats.

Naruto yawned and got up. "Yeah, it is pretty late isn't it? Man I'm tired!"

Lucy sighed and got up as well. "I guess it can't be helped, shall we go?" As the two left, they looked back and waved to the barmaid.

"Goodnight Mira-Chan/San!"

The white-haired beauty waved back before finishing up the rest of her duties. 'Good for you, Lucy.' Then, as she was just locking up the guild for the night, a small mischievous giggle escaped her lips. 'Now, I wonder how Juvia is going to retaliate? Oh, I'm so bad!'

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait guys, but the spirit sage is back!**

 **I've been falling behind in one of my classes this semester, so that's why it took so long to get this chapter out.**

 **But no excuses! During the past couple of weeks, I've been forming ideas in my mind and I can't wait to write them out!**

 **As always, review or P.M. me to let me know if you have any questions/comments/concerns! Your feedback is treasured!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	19. New Friends, New Foes

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 4/18/2017**

* * *

"Hmm... That is rather strange." Freed rubbed his chin while studying Naruto and one of his Shadow Clones. "Your clone does not share the same facial features, is that normal?"

Lucy tilted her head as she looked between the two. "I guess I never really noticed."

Naruto had begun to practice drawing in magic by itself when he had suggested using Shadow Clones to make the process faster.

After finally getting Freed to agree, the ninja had summoned a single clone while in Sage Mode to give an example. But the green haired mage had noticed something was off. While the original Naruto had the new markings of the magic enhanced Sage Mode, the clone held the traditional toad sage look.

"You know, I noticed awhile back that my clones didn't have a guild stamp on their hands. But I didn't think it was all that important and never thought too much on it." Naruto said and as the doppelganger raised his hand to show that there was indeed no tattoo, just as the original had claimed.

"How exactly does your cloning technique work?" Freed asked in an attempt to get a better understanding of the situation. If he learned more about Naruto and his chakra, then perhaps he could find a solution to Naruto's trouble with magic.

Naruto put his hands in his favorite jutsu's hand sign. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu divides the chakra equally into every clone that I make. When they dispel, the clone's chakra and memories come back to me."

Freed raised his eyebrows at the explanation. No wonder he wanted to use clones to help with the training, that was quite a useful trick.

"Wait, does that include the natural energy you draw in?" Lucy asked, having already known how the jutsu worked.

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Yeah, back in the Elemental Nations, I could have a clone gather natural energy and send me the nature chakra to go into Sage Mode. Though I don't really need to do that here since this place is chalk-full of nature energy..."

Freed looked at Lucy, who seemed to be in deep thought. "Why, have you figured something out?"

The girl looked up and nodded. "Call it a hunch, but I think the reason could be behind the guild stamp." Lucy turned to Naruto and pointed at his hand. "Back when you were learning how to sense magic, didn't you use the guild mark to focus on the magic you drew in and control it? Well then maybe when you make clones, they don't receive any magic and only get the Sage chakra you make."

Freed nodded. "That could also explain why the clones don't have a guild mark on their hands... Impressive."

Lucy rubbed the back of her head at the praise. "You could say I'm the brains of our team."

Naruto groaned. "But if that's true, then I can't use Shadow Clones to help me train with magic..."

"Looks like we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way." Freed said and pulled out a couple of books, much to the blond ninja's dismay.

"Ah, sorry Freed, but Naruto and I are going to take on a job today!" Lucy chirped and grabbed onto one of Naruto's arms.

"Oh, is that so? Then I guess it can't be help." Freed said before handing Naruto a book. "But have this book read by the time you get back."

Naruto nodded and reluctantly took the book from the man's hand. "Alright... Freed-Sensei..."

Freed gasped. 'F-Freed-Sensei!?' Was it really okay for someone strong enough to defeat Laxus call him sensei? How should he respond? Should he say something encouraging like: "Don't worry Naruto, I have my utmost faith that you can do it!" No, that wasn't right... Laxus! What would Laxus say to his student!?

"I already picked out a job, so let's go!" Lucy said and they left, leaving the rune mage to his own thoughts.

Freed's eyes widened. 'Of course!' He turned around and shouted. "Naruto-!" Ah. They already left.

* * *

"So what is this job?" Naruto asked as they walked towards the train station.

"It's a secret!" Lucy chimed and started to hum. She was really looking forward to spending the entire day with Naruto, and without Juvia to hog all of his attention.

'Alright it's just me and him, now is the perfect time to strike!' Lucy pumped a mental fist as a wave of determination started radiating from her, spooking those unfortunate that they passed.

Though it seemed to go over Naruto's head as he was lost in his own thoughts.

'I wonder when Kakashi-Sensei and the others are going to get here. They said any day but...' Naruto's thought trailed off as the memories of a shadow clone came to him. As he sorted through the memories, a grin sprawled across his face.

Noticing the all too familiar grin, Lucy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What did you do this time?"

"Hehe, oh nothing... Let's just say a certain metal dragon isn't very happy right now." Naruto said before bursting out laughing.

'Gajeel again, huh?' Lucy had already forgiven Gajeel for what he had done, the guy was even starting to open up to the guild little by little, even if it didn't seem like it. But it looked like Naruto still held a bit of a grudge, even if he didn't admit it himself. 'I wonder what he did this time?'

* * *

 **Earlier In The Town...**

Gajeel had been looking around town again, searching for a feline that was better than the ones the other two dragon slayers in the guild when he had come across a cat with red-orange fur. Never in his life had Gajeel seen one with such a bizarre color on a cat. 'Could this be...!?'

Sensing the dragon slayer's presence, the odd-looking cat stared at him with large, crimson eyes.

'What ferocious looking eyes!' Gajeel thought as a smirk grew on his face. "You there! You're going to be my cat!" Seeing as the animal didn't so much as flinch at his sudden outburst, Gajeel's smirk grew even wider. 'Gihihi... This cat is perfect! Now I too have a-'

"Don't wanna."

"... Eh?"

Gajeel just stood there dumbfounded as the cat started walking away. Did it just talk? 'Just like those other cats!'

There was no mistake, this was his cat.

"Wait!" Gajeel yelled before the cat jumped onto the rooftops with a single leap. 'What the!? That was like a twenty-foot jump!'

Hopping onto the rooftops, the dragon slayer searched for his target. He then found the cat was already a couple buildings away. 'What speed! With a cat like that by my side, there's no way I could ever lose!'

After about a half an hour of chasing, Gajeel finally managed to corner it.

"*Huff* I finally... *Huff* Caught you!" Gajeel wheezed and took a moment to catch his breath. "Now, your mine!" He yelled and lounged in an attempt to grab his new pet, but the cat jumped through his arms and pushed off his back. "Gah!" Not being able to catch himself, Gajeel crashed into some trash cans.

The cat watched from on top of a dumpster as the man pulled himself from the rubbish.

"Damn it!" Gajeel cried and slammed a fist onto the ground. "I just want a cat like those two! Why am I the only dragon slayer without a cat!?"

"Did you say dragon slayer?"

"Huh?" Gajeel looked up to find the orange cat was still there, looking down at him with a glint in its red irises. "Uh, yeah. I'm the iron dragon slayer, Gajeel Redfox."

"I see..."

Gajeel gulped as the cat studded him.

"...Very well. I shall be your partner." It finally said with a short nod.

The mage's eyes widened and was about to do a victory roar when the cat spoke again.

"In one condition."

Gajeel stopped and looked at the cat questioningly.

"In order for us to become partners, you must perform the ceremony."

"Huh?"

"As you've noticed, I'm no ordinary cat. I'm actually a descendant from an ancient tribe of super cats."

Gajeel nodded in acknowledgment. 'Now it all makes sense, I knew this cat was special!' He crossed his arms. "So, what's this ceremony I gotta perform?"

…

After getting all the necessary supplies, Gajeel found himself in the center of a circle of candles, wearing a humorous cat suit.

'Ugg... This is humiliating... But I gotta endure this if I want that super cat!' He chuckled as he imagined the faces of the guild members if he showed up with such an awesome cat.

"Ahem. Are you ready?" The cat asked, snapping the slayer out of his thoughts. "Here, you'll need these too." It said and pushed a pair of maracas in front of him. "Now, let us begin!"

'Here goes nothing!' Gajeel shook the maracas as he awkwardly danced, and the cat started jumping over his head a series of time while saying strange words that he assumed was for the ritual.

The cat then jumped onto a nearby dumpster, seeming to have finished with the spell. "Now! Say the enchantment!"

Gajeel nodded and closed his eyes, continuing the dance as he spoke. "Oh neko kami, hear my plea! Let the team of dragon and cat become reality!"

"Pfft...!"

Gajeel ignored the strange sound and continued. "I, Gajeel Redfox the Iron Dragon Slayer swear in the name of-"

"Pfft...! Pffhahaha!"

Gajeel shot his eyes open just in time to witness the laughing cat explode into a puff of smoke, revealing none other than one Naruto Uzumaki. "Wha-"

"Ahahaha! Oh! My sides! Hahahaha! I just couldn't take it anymore! Hahaha!" Naruto laughed out while holding his splitting sides.

 ***RIP!** *

The blond wiped a stray tear from his eye and watched as Gajeel tore the cat suit to pieces. "Whoops, looks like I hit nerve."

"...You've done it now, Uzumaki." Gajeel muttered while looking down, his hands gripping into iron fists.

Naruto continued to grin even when Gajeel grabbed onto his jacket threateningly.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" He swore and reared back a fist.

Naruto just laughed and gave a mock solute. "Well I'd love to stay and play, but I'm not really feeling up to it right now. Thanks for the good laugh!"

 ***Poof!***

Gajeel glared bloody murder at the spot where the ninja once stood and growled. "Grrr... Uzumaki!"

* * *

 **Present...**

"You know, you should really give the guy a break." Lucy said as they got onto the train. "He might be a jerk, but he's still a member of the guild."

Naruto chuckled some more but nodded. "Yeah I know, but I just can't help it. He's such an easy target!"

Lucy sighed and sat down on her seat. "I'm just saying, one day you're going to take your pranks too far and it's gonna bite you in the butt."

"Okay mom." Naruto said and rolled his eyes, earning a pout from his partner. "So, are you going to tell me about the mission now? At least tell me where we're going."

"There's a woman in Clover Town whose cat keeps running away, it's been a couple of days and they can't seem to find it." Lucy read from the paper before handing to Naruto, who raised an eyebrow.

"A cat? Heh~, what a coincidence."

This time it was Lucy's turn to raise an eyebrow. "How so?"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. Though, I can't help but think this mission is going to be a little troublesome..."

Lucy frowned. "Is this job a little too boring? I just wanted to take a break from all of the crazy monster hunts for change…"

"Ah, no, that's not it. I'm cool with taking lower ranking jobs every once and a while. It's just that there was a mission that me and my team back in the Elemental Nations did almost weekly. This crazy lady's cat would always run away and it was our job as a freshly formed genin squad to catch it. I swear, that cat was a pro at escaping. Not to mention it's razor sharp claws." He shivered remembering all the scratches he got from that beast. If it weren't for the Kyuubi's healing factor, his entire body would have been covered in scars.

Lucy laughed at the face Naruto was making, she really enjoyed listening to him talk about his past adventures. "Oh, come on. It shouldn't be that bad."

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

Everyone at the guild was just going at their usual business and hanging out at the bar-hall when the front doors swung open, and an overly-excited Juvia ran in.

"Naruto-Sama~! Juvia is back~!" She had just returned from a solo job she'd done because of her desperate need for money. Usually, Juvia never had to deal with that type of situation. But because of all the new Naruto merchandise being sold in the guild's store due to his new-found popularity, she had begun to run low on jewels.

"Ah, hello Juvia-San." Wendy said and waved at the girl from across the hall. She was sitting at a table with Charla and Cana.

"If you're looking for Naruto, he just left on a job with Lucy a little while ago." Cana said and pointed back towards the door.

"Wha-"

"Uzumaki!" Gajeel roared and charged into the guild, his eyes filled with undying rage. "Come out and-Ack!" Everyone in the guild sweatdropped as the dragon slayer was cut off by Juvia, who was now stepping on the man's back. "W-why me...?" Gajeel whimpered as a wave of killer intent washed over him.

"...How sneaky... Unforgivable!" How dare Lucy try and one-up her while she was away on a job! She had to stop this before something happened! What if...

 **Juvia's Imagination...**

Naruto was chasing Lucy in a meadow, both were laughing merrily and enjoying themselves.

But then, just as Lucy trips on a root, Naruto swoops in and catches her.

"Naruto..." Lucy says with a light blush adorning her cheeks. "You saved me..."

Naruto then smiles and pulls her closer. "Of course... I'll never let you fall..." He says and closes the distance.

"Naruto..."

"Lucy..."

"NOOOOOOOO~!" Juvia suddenly wailed, unconsciously applying more pressure onto the poor dragon slayer. 'Juvia can't let that happen! But how will Juvia stop them? Where did they-' Her thoughts were interrupted by a paper airplane flying into her hat and onto the ground.

Picking it up and reading its contents, Juvia looked up to find Mirajane giving her the "Fight!" signal.

'Mira-San!' Juvia sent her friend a thankful look and was about to leave when she looked down. "Gajeel-Kun? When did you get here?"

"D-demon..." Gajeel muttered and passed out.

Shrugging, Juvia dashed out of the guild towards the train station. "Hang in there Naruto-Sama! Juvia is coming to rescue you!"

Cana chuckled as she watched the water mage run off. "Naruto is as popular as ever."

Charla crossed her arms and huffed. "What a beast! You best stay away from him if you know what's good for you, Wendy."

"Naruto-San isn't like that!" Wendy denied before blushing. "Those rumors are all lies! Naruto-San is a good person!"

Cana smirked and swung an arm around Wendy. "Oh~? What's this? Has Naruto gotten to you too Wendy?" She teased before bursting out with laughter when the little girl's blush turned scarlet and she began to sputter out nonsense. "Hahaha, sorry sorry, I was just teasing."

Wendy pouted at the older girl. "Cana-San, that's mean!"

Charla sighed, what a troublesome guild this was.

* * *

"See? I told you it was going to be okay." Lucy said as she turned back and waved at their happy client. "I'm glad we were able to find the cat so quickly, the owner looked so sad and lonely. Maybe we should get a cat..."

"No thank you!" Naruto declined without a shred of hesitation before he stopped and turned to his partner. "So, what do you wanna do now?"

Lucy took a moment and thought about it, this was all part of her secret plan after all. Going on a job that they'd finish quickly, and then spending the rest of the day together, all without that clingy water woman to get in her way.

Hey, Juvia was her friend, but they were both after the same guy. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. "How about we walk around the town, maybe grab a bite to eat?"

"Sounds good to me."

As the two began walking towards the town square to go sightseeing, a shadowed figure could be seen spying down on them from the rooftops.

"..."

* * *

 **Some Time Later...**

"Yeah, and then the pervy-sage got us kicked out of the inn for peeping in on the girl's bath, again!" Naruto said with a chuckle. "We ended up camping in the forest that night because it was the only inn at the town."

Lucy laughed as they continued their route through the town.

"You know what I think?" Naruto said and took a bite out of his cotton candy. "I think the pervy-sage and old man Makarov would have really gotten along."

"I could see that happening." Lucy agreed while taking a piece of the candy for herself and plopping it into her mouth. "If all the stories about your master are true, I'm sure they would."

Things were going great so far. They had been walking around the town and gotten a bite to eat, all the while talking and enjoying each other's company. It was almost like an official date! 'But best of all, no-'

"Naruto-Sama~!"

'Juvia!?' Lucy frantically searched for the blue haired girl before Naruto could realize she was here. 'There she is!' Juvia was some ways behind them, flailing her arms up and down in attempts to get their attention.

"Huh? Was that Juvia just now?" Naruto asked and was about to turn around to see if it was her when Lucy grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from turning, and started pushing him towards a food stand.

"What? I don't hear anything. You must be hungry, go buy us some snacks!"

"Eh? I could have sworn I heard Juvia... Besides, I'm not all that hungry-" The shinobi started before clamping his mouth shut when a wave of energy he knew all too well washed over him.

"I'm getting kind of hungry myself, can you please get me some snacks Naruto?" Lucy said with a tone of voice that sounded so calm it sent chills down the jinchuuriki's spine. "O-okay... I'll be right back!" He said rather quickly and dashed off to go and get their snacks.

Juvia frowned when she saw Naruto suddenly go in the opposite direction. Something didn't seem right. Her frown deepened when Lucy turned and sent her a look that said: "Go away!".

'So that's how Lucy wants to play...'

'Now I've done it...' Lucy thought as Juvia began to sprint in her direction. 'I've gotta stop her from getting to Naruto, or I can kiss my alone time with him goodbye!'

Lucy met the girl half way and dove in to tackle her, but she just went right through her body and crashed onto the ground.

"Hah! Juvia's body is made of water, Lucy can't touch Juvia!" The water mage sneered and took a deep breath, getting ready to call out to her beloved.

"Naruto-Sama~! Eh? What is this? So she says." Horologium said as Juvia tried to escape her prison.

Lucy sighed in relief, the clock spirit's key in her outstretched arm. "Phew, barley made it..."

Naruto came back a few minutes later with some hot snacks in his hands. "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. The line was pretty long-huh?" He looked around but Lucy was nowhere to be found. "…Eh?"

* * *

"Lucy~! Where'd you go?" Naruto called out but got no answer. "Man, where is she? The snacks she wanted are already cold..." His search led him to the end of an alleyway. "A dead end huh? Guess I'll just enter sage mode to find her-Woah!" Naruto jumped out of the way just as a stream of what looked to be red hair impaled the cement he was just previously standing on.

When the dust settled, he saw three people standing at the entrance of the alley. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki-Chan."

Naruto frowned but instead of responding, he took a second to see what he was dealing with.

The person in the middle, the one who spoke, was a tall man with black hair and a black beard. He was wearing expensive looking clothes and had a shit-eating grin on his face that bothered the blonde to no ends.

The second person, the one to the left of the first, was taller than the first and had blue hair with lighter blue skin. He wore a black cloak and had a black top hat on top of his head. Naruto noticed a small critter perched on the man's shoulder, it had a creepy smile on its face.

The last of the three, the one that had attacked him, was a young girl with red hair. Naruto tried to keep his cool when he noticed she was staring straight into his eyes with an unnerving smile and her head slightly tilted.

"Blondie..." The girl said as her hair retracted back to normal lengths.

'Okay... that's not creepy at all." Naruto thought and turned his attention to the man in the middle, who he assumed was the leader. "Can I help you?"

The man chuckled and took a step forward. "Yes, my name is Ivan, master of the guild Raven Tail. You've gotten quite popular in Fiore as of late, so I've come to you today with a proposition." He said, his smile growing with each word that came out of his mouth.

Raven Tail, wasn't that a dark guild? What would a dark guild want with him? "I don't know what kind of deals you would want to make with me, but I don't think making deals with wanted criminals sounds like a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Ivan put a hand up, his grin ever so present. "Just hear me out, I think you'll find this deal is quite in your favor."

Relaxing his muscles, only a little, Naruto sighed and leaned on a nearby wall. "Fine, what do you want?" He'd hear the guy out, then beat the crap out of them before turning them in to the rune knights.

Ivan's smile grew slightly before he spoke. "Good... The proposition that I speak of is quite simple. I want you to take the dragon lacrima that resides within Laxus' body and bring it to me."

Naruto choked on nothing as he faulted from where he was leaning. "Huh!? What do you want that for?"

The man shrugged. "Dragon lacrima's are worth quite a bit of money nowadays. Besides, that power is wasted on that weak son of mine."

"Your... Son?" Naruto growled out the last part. "You bastard... Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your ass right now!"

Ivan smirked, knowing that this was how the boy was going to react. "What if I told you I know of a way for you to get home?" Naruto's eyes widened as the man continued to speak. "The Elemental Nations, I believe it was called? Magic is a beautiful thing, Naruto-Chan. It is a very useful tool... So, what is your answer? Join my guild, take the lacrima from Laxus, and I can send you home!" He didn't really know how to send him home, but the brat didn't need to know that.

Gajeel had told him that the shinobi was actually from a whole other dimension, and that he was desperate to find a way back. That desperation was something Ivan was going to manipulate the powerhouse into doing his bidding-

"I refuse." Naruto said flatly and cracked his knuckles.

"What!? Don't you want to go home!? I have the power that can-"

Naruto cut the man off and sent him a cold glare. "If you expect me to betray all my friends just for an off chance to get back home, then you must be dumber than you look."

A tick mark formed on Ivan's forehead, his grin long gone. "How disappointing... You're no better than that old fool! Flare! Obra! Kill him!" He demanded and backed away as the two prepared to attack.

Naruto dashed forward and slid under a familiar stream of red hair that had been shot out at him. He then kicked off the ground and punched Obra in the face, the critter jumped off his shoulder as the man flew into a nearby wall.

Flare shot out multiple streams of hair in all different directions, but was surprised when the ninja blurred from her field of view just before her attack landed. "Wha-Kuh!"

With a swift chop to the neck, Naruto watched as the young girl fell into bliss unconsciousness. 'Two down, one to go...' He thought and began walking towards Raven Tail's guild master. "Any last words before I beat you to a pulp?"

Ivan seethed with anger, before all his anger disappeared and he began smirking. "While I am disappointed that you won't take up my offer, it will make it all the more satisfying when I crush Fairy Tail!"

Naruto clicked his tongue and lunged forward to deck the laughing man in the face, but his eyes widened when he went right through his body. 'A thought projection!?'

"Until next time... Naruto-Chan." Ivan taunted before disappearing.

Turning around, Naruto cursed when he found the other two were gone as well. Whatever, it probably wasn't worth chasing them down. 'I can't believe that was the old man's son...'

* * *

Naruto walked through the town, searching for his missing partner. "Where did she even go?" He turned around a corner to find a small crowd in the middle of a street. "Huh? I wonder what's going on."

Letting his curiosity get the best of him, Naruto ventured forth and pushed his way into the crowd.

After making it to the front, he found Lucy with Juvia. "Oh, Juvia was here after all-wait... What are you guys doing...?" Naruto asked with a sweat drop.

Lucy and Juvia were in the middle of what looked to be a miniature Miss Fairy Tail Contest. They were both in the middle of doing their own personal performances when they noticed the blonde staring at them.

"Ah! Naruto-Sama~!" Juvia cried and instantly latched onto his arm. "Juvia was looking all over for you!"

'You clearly weren't...' Naruto deadpanned but was taken by surprise when Lucy grabbed a hold of his other arm. "Oh, come on! It was my turn with Naruto today! We were just hanging out after just having completed a job!"

Juvia pulled Naruto closer, a childish pout on her face. "And that is why Juvia is here to take Naruto-Sama back!"

The two then began to fight over the shinobi, his head moving like a bobble-head as they pulled him back and forth. 'What the heck is going on!?' Naruto thought as the males in the crowd started sending him jealous looks.

 ***Click!***

Everyone's attention turned to a certain pointy haired reporter, who had just taken a picture of the scene.

"Cool! Cool! Cool~! Fairy Tail's Naruto Uzumaki makes an appearance in Clover Town, the place where he once destroyed the guild master's meeting hall-"

Naruto sweatdropped. 'I almost forgot about that...'

"-Now he's here to show off his two lover-" Jason never got to finish his sentence when Lucy rammed a fist into the man's head.

"Not. Another. Word." She ordered and started walking off. "Let's go home, I'm tired."

Naruto and Juvia quickly followed behind her, the latter just happy to be the one still holding onto the former's arm.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

Naruto was leaning on the railing on the second floor of the guild, and watched as the guild members drank and laughed. 'Ivan... It's hard to believe that bastard is actually the old man's son.'

"Gihihi... How was your little run in with Ivan?"

He heard Gajeel say from behind him. Whirling around, Naruto stared at the dragon slayer with suspicious eyes. "And how did you know that?"

Gajeel chuckled again and didn't say anything, leaving the answer to the blonde's imagination.

Naruto's eyes widened and he grabbed the man's collar. "I should have known... You're in cahoots with Ivan!"

Gajeel began to sweat, not thinking that the ninja would think he was an actual spy. "Ah, no. Actually I'm..."

"I had Gajeel take on a very dangerous job, a double agent to keep my son Ivan in check." Makarov butted in.

"Oh." Naruto let go of Gajeel's collar and muttered an apology. "My bad."

The dragon slayer just sucked his teeth. "Whatever. Ivan offered something like a way to get you home, or something along those lines, right?"

Naruto's eyes brightened. "Does that mean you-"

Gajeel cut him off with the shake of his head. "No. I don't know how to get you home, and neither does Ivan. He was going to use that to get you to join his ranks."

"Figures as much..." Naruto hadn't thought the evil man knew how to get him home, but it didn't make him feel any better.

Makarov frowned at seeing Naruto's sad look. "Cheer up boy, we'll find a way. Now you should probably rest up, the twenty-four-hour race is tomorrow."

Naruto let out a chuckle. "You know, you're pretty excited for this race old man, why is that?"

The grin on the master's face sent shivers down both Naruto and Gajeel's spines. "You'll find out tomorrow." He said gleefully and began to skip away before stopping. "Want my advice? Don't lose."

With that, the old man continued to skip away, leaving the two teens severely creeped out.

"Gajeel?" Naruto said after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"...Something tells me that whoever loses that race, is in for some deep shit."

"Yeah..." Gajeel agreed before socking Naruto in the arm. Hard.

"Oww! What was that for!?"

Gajeel glared at the blonde. "You know what you did." He spat and walked off.

Naruto raised an eyebrow before the memory of his prank came to mind. 'Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that too... Maybe I should get a camera?'

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, Spirit here!**

 **In case some of you are wondering why it's taking such a long time for the Konoha group to get here, it's because the time differences between the Elemental Nations and Earthland in this story is similar to that of Earthland and the Celestial Spirit world.**

 **I hinted at this a few times, like when the messenger frog told Lucy that it had only been a week since he had been there, as to the couple of months it was to them. But I just wanted to clarify this in case some of you missed it.**

 **On a side note, 150 reviews! And over 300 favorites and follows!**

 **Thank you guys, I'm glad that so many people enjoy this little story of mine. : )**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	20. Race of Pranks

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

Naruto laid back on the grass, a slight frown on his face. It was the day of the twenty-four-hour race and he had just gotten done with his early morning training with Freed, who had just recently left to go prepare for the event.

Naruto was currently working on his magic control, and he was beginning to get the hang of, but not to the extent he wanted. Naruto was now able to draw in a bit of magic and maintain it long enough to write down a couple of runes. But there was still one problem, he was still only able to utilize the magic he absorbed while in sage mode. When he deactivated sage mode, the collected magic would leave his body alongside the natural energy.

Folding his arms behind his head, Naruto let out a sigh as he felt the light breeze sweep over him. He used to do this a lot in the training fields back in Konoha after a workout.

Outstretching a hand upwards, Naruto stared at the sky and saw his friends from the Elemental Nations smiling down at him. "Guys... When are you coming?"

Lucy, who had come to tell Naruto the race was starting, frowned sadly from a distance. 'He really is homesick... And to think this whole time I've been selfishly trying to get closer to him without even considering his feelings...'

"Hey Lucy, is the race is starting?" Naruto suddenly said from behind her.

"Eep!" Lucy squealed and jumped from being startled, her heart skipping a beat. "How are you..." She looked over to where the ninja was previously and found there was another Naruto waving at her before exploding into smoke. "Of course... a clone."

Naruto laughed as the girl pouted at him childishly. "Sorry, I sensed you were coming and couldn't help myself. Man, I got you good! Hahaha!"

"Honestly, I come all this way to get you just to get pranked…" Lucy huffed and started walking back to town, the laughing teen following suit. 'How did I fall for this guy? He's such a child!'

Stifling his laughter, Naruto wiped a stray tear from his eye and grinned widely. "Anyways, thanks for getting me. I probably would have been late."

Lucy nodded and stared at the ground as they walked, slowly falling behind the shinobi as her pace slowed. 'I'm terrible... All I've ever thought about was my love problems while Naruto's been hurting this whole time...'

"Hey, Lucy." Naruto suddenly said.

The celestial spirit mage stopped and looked up to see her fellow blonde staring up at the sky.

"Thanks, but, you don't have to worry about me. Just knowing my friends back home are worried enough about me to find a way here is enough to keep me going." Naruto said and turned back, and he grinned brightly. His messy hair ruffled a breeze picked up. "But thank you for worrying about me too, it means a lot. Honestly."

Lucy stared at Naruto with growing eyes as she used a hand to keep her hair out of her face from the wind.

They stood there for a couple seconds before Lucy finally broke the silence with a chuckle. "Well of course, it's only natural for friends to look after each other. That's what a mage of Fairy Tail does!" She said matter-of-fact like, quoting what Naruto had told her countless times.

Naruto kept his smile and the two began walking towards the town again. They had a race to get to.

* * *

 **Starting Line...**

"COOL! COOL! COOL~! Everyone, get to the starting line!" Jason shouted excitedly into the microphone as the contenders of Fairy Tail got to their positions. Makarov had just finished explaining the rules of the race.

Naruto watched as everyone got into their starting spots before pumping a fist. "Alright, I'm gonna win this race for sure!" He declared, earning a couple smiles from the other members.

"Hey Naruto."

The ninja turned around to find Jet walking up to him with a grin on his face. "Hey Jet, ready for the race?"

The mage nodded and smirked. "Yeah, though I'm afraid you're not going to be winning this race, not if I have anything to say about it."

Naruto returned the smirk and crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? I heard you were fast, so I guess that makes us rivals this time around then. But I ain't going home second!"

"I guess it does, good luck." Jet said and left to find Levy to show off.

"I admire your determination Naruto, but I have no intention on coming second myself." Erza declared and walked up to the blonde. She was wearing what looked to be a runner's outfit instead of her usual armor.

"Hey Erza, where's Jay?" Naruto greeted and asked. They had decided to call Jellal "Jay" to keep his identity safe.

"He's out on a job right now." She said and shook her head. She had tried to get the man to join them in the race, but Jellal had insisted on doing a job instead. Not that she was complaining. It was nice seeing her friend trying so hard to redeem himself.

"Oh, that's too back." Naruto said before a familiar blue haired girl latched onto his arm. "Juvia found Naruto-Sama at last!"

Struggling to keep his balance, Naruto laughed awkwardly as the affectionate girl held onto his arm. "H-hey Juvia, ready for the race?"

Juvia gained a fierce look of determination and nodded. "Of course!" She said before letting go and looking away shyly. "If Juvia gets in second place, because Naruto-Sama is going to win for sure, will Naruto-Sama take Juvia out on a date?" She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her cheeks as they turned bright red. 'Ah! Juvia finally said it! Now, what will Naruto-Sama say-'

"Sorry Natsu, but I'm gonna win first place for sure!" Naruto said and Natsu pointed at him.

"No way! I'm gonna win this race with my secret technique! Just you wait!"

Juvia's words had fallen onto deaf ears as Naruto was now talking with a couple other guild members.

"I don't like this new rule though..." Happy moped at the 'no flying rule' that had been added to this year's race.

"I'm going to do my best too, Naruto-San!" Wendy declared.

"Yup, do your best!" Naruto said encouragingly and pat the girl's head, much to Carla's annoyance.

"Keep your grubby hands off of Wendy, you beast!"

"Carla, be nice!" Wendy scolded as Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance.

'This cat...' Naruto had a nice little prank that had the stuck-up feline's name written all over it.

'Naruto-Sama...' Juvia moped as tears flooded from her eyes, a couple unlucky guild members getting washed away.

Erza chuckled and put a hand on the weeping girl's shoulder. "There there…" She then gazed into the crowd. "Hey Juvia, have you seen Lucy?"

* * *

"Hey Lu-Chan!"

Lucy looked up to find Levy walking towards her. "Hey Levy-Chan, what's up?"

The little girl smiled weirdly. "I should be asking you that, what are you doing all the way back here?"

Right now, the two were pretty far off from the starting line.

"Ah, that..." Lucy laughed awkwardly. "Well, let's just say I'm taking precautions."

Levy cocked an eyebrow. "Precautions? For what?" She asked but before Lucy could answer, they heard a shout coming from the crowd.

"Levy! There you are!"

Jet ran up to Levy. "What are you guys doing all the way out here?" He asked before they heard someone shout that the race was about to begin. "Er-Never mind, just watch my start Levy!"

"As if I'll have time to watch!" Levy said as the teen ran off.

"Come on, he only wants to show off." Lucy said with a teasing tone.

Levy deadpanned. "I wouldn't be able to watch even if I wanted to." As the girl finished her sentence, a whistle was blown, indicating the start of the race. And as soon as the whistle was blown, an explosion went off at the front of the starting line, causing almost everyone to fly off their feet.

"COOL~! Jet is pulling away from the starting line right off the bat again this year!" Jason screamed into the microphone as the people on the ground groaned.

Levy sighed, relieved that they had been far enough to not be affected by Jet's start. "See? Couldn't see him even if I wanted to."

Lucy deadpanned before noticing Naruto standing at the starting line, and looking like he was ready to go. "Remember when you asked why I was back here?" Lucy asked and Levy was about to say yes when another explosion went off at the starting line, only bigger this time. "That's why."

Just as the other members had finally picked themselves up, they were knocked down again as the ground beneath them shattered. "W-what is this!?"

Naruto laughed at the sight as he sped away from the starting line. "Sorry about that! But I got a race to win!"

Levy watched in awe at the now destroyed starting area. "He destroyed the starting line... just by starting..."

Lucy sighed and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Naruto tends to go a little overboard and I thought this might happen, so that's why I came back here." She said and surveyed the area, cringing as she watched people pull themselves from the rubble. "...And I'm glad I did."

* * *

Jet laughed as he passed through the town. "Hah! Looks like I got this race in the bag again this year!" The race had just started and he was already nearing the forest just outside of town. "Just watch me win again Levy!"

"You really like Levy, don't you Jet?"

The man blushed slightly and wiped his nose. "Well... Yeah, I do a little-Wait, what?!" Jet gasped when he saw Naruto running alongside him with an amused look on his face.

"Yo!" Naruto said and Jet almost tripped on his feet.

"Don't give me that! How are you running so fast!?" Jet shouted as he tried to figure out how Naruto was keeping up with him. He didn't know magic, and he didn't say anything about knowing any speed enhancing techniques. 'Don't tell me... Is Naruto only using the power of his legs!?'

Naruto laughed before waving. "Sorry, I'd like to chat, but I gotta fly!" That said, the shinobi pumped even more chakra into his legs and zoomed forward.

"Oh no you don't!" Jet yelled and channeled more magic into his technique.

* * *

"Jet had started off the race, but Naruto has now taken the lead! Our all time champion is now in second place, what a turn of events! Cool~!" Jason announced and turned the microphone towards Mirajane, who was watching the video lacrima right next to him.

"They really are fast... The cameras can't even film them." The barmaid said with a sweat-drop.

* * *

'Not bad.' Naruto thought as Jet slowly caught up with him, though he seemed to be pushing himself.

The two were now sprinting through the desert landscape that was just outside of the town, both leaving a massive dust trail behind them.

'Heh, I guess now would be a good time.' Naruto thought and brought his hands into a familiar hand sign. **"Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"** The shinobi yelled as a ton of clones came into existence.

"W-what are you doing!?" Jet asked nervously as there was now a mob of Naruto's around him. He wasn't really going to take him out here and now, was he? It wouldn't be against the rules.

"Alright guys, you know what to do!" Naruto said, ignoring the speed mage's question. "Get to work!"

"Right!" The clones yelled and scattered in groups of blurs.

* * *

Jason let out a series of "Cools" as he brimmed with excitement from the race. "Naruto and Jet are still far in the lead, let's see how the other contestants are doing."

The video lacrima flickered from the trails of dust Naruto and Jet were making to Natsu, who was using his flaming fists as a boost to make him go faster.

* * *

Natsu smiled excitedly as he rocketed through the rocky landscape. "Damn, Naruto and Jet really are fast! I better kick it up a notch." That being said, the flames on his fist grew brighter and as a result he began to run faster.

"Hah!" The dragon slayer yelled triumphantly as he neared a natural stone archway. "Watch out guys. I'll catch up in no ti-Ack!"

Natsu was cut off when something caught onto his foot, causing the teen to trip and fall. Natsu fell to the ground, rolling across the dirt a couple times before finally coming to a stop.

After the spinning in his head stopped, Natsu tried to get up but found he couldn't move. "What the- I'm stuck!" Natsu cried out as he fruitlessly tried to move, but found that he was all tied up in weird metal wires. "What the hell is this!?"

"So, you're the first to fall prey? Of course it was you, Natsu. Hahaha!"

The pink haired teen growled as he heard a series of laughs above him. "Naruto! Get me out of here!"

Naruto could be seen laughing on top of the rocks, laughing his butt off in fact. "Ah, this is great... Hm?" He raised an eyebrow as Natsu's body was engulfed in flames. "Heh, sorry but those wires won't burn."

"Naruto!" Natsu screamed and started rolling and bouncing around, all the while spouting out nonsense and spitting out fire.

The blonde laughed again before stopping and peering out in the distance. "Ah, looks like everyone else is coming. Better get ready."

* * *

A group of guild members were trekking through the rocky landscape when they noticed Natsu all tied up and on the ground up ahead.

"Natsu? What's he doing there?"

"Hah! Serves you right, ya hot head!" Gray snorted and ran right passed him.

"..."

The other mages found it odd that the dragon slayer didn't retort back, so they all stopped and walked over to him.

"Hey, Natsu? Are you alright?" Max asked and went to shake Natsu'a shoulder, only for the slayer to explode into a cloud of smoke. "W-what the!?"

When the smoke cleared, the was a note that had a cartoony drawing of Naruto sticking his tongue out and words that read: "Look up."

The group gulped, already knowing what was coming next, and looked up to find a bunch of Naruto's standing above them on some rocks, all of which carried a variety of tools and trinkets in their hands.

"Charge!" One of the clones yelled and all hell broke loose.

"Owowowow~! Stop it!" Nab yelled as he tried to run from a clone, who was throwing tiny balls that exploded at the ground around him.

"Why does he have all this stuff with him!?" Warren cried out as he was now completely covered from head to toe with orange paint.

"Come and prank me like a man, Naruto!" Elfman demanded as a clone stepped up to him. The large man raised an eyebrow when the clone exploded in a puff of smoke, and when the smoke cleared it revealed another Elfman.

Well, it was Elfman's head, on Happy's little body.

Elfman looked at the transformed clone in shock. "That... That's..."

"Man! Be a man!" The clone said in Happy's voice.

"That's not manly..." Elfman said and fell on his knees depressed. The clone now laughing historically in Happy's voice.

'Glad I kept running...' Gray thought as he looked back and watched the massacre unfold. He cringed when Max fell victim to the One Thousand Years of Death technique. That must have hurt.

 ***Tsss!***

"Huh?" Gray stopped when he heard a hissing sound behind him. "What is that?" He asked no one in particular and whirled around, only to hear the hissing from behind again.

"Hey Gray."

Gray heard Natsu call out from a distance, the real Natsu. The fire dragon slayer hung upside down and dangling from a rock archway.

"You got something stuck to your pants."

"On my-"

As soon as the ice mage checked the place where Natsu was referring too, he swore when he saw firecrackers attached to his pants, with a lit fuse. "Oh shi-!"

Natsu cackled with laughter as Gray ran around in panic, frantically trying to knock the now exploding firecrackers from his trousers. "Hahaha! That's what you get for just leaving me back there!"

"Natsu! What's going on here?"

The teen looked down to find a familiar blue cat looking up at him. "Happy! Quick! Get me down from here!"

While the cat began to help his friend, Cana, Wakaba, and Macao ran past them in the distance.

"Sheesh… Naruto's going all-out, isn't he?" Cana said with a sweat-drop.

"Yeah, let's just keep going and hope he doesn't notice us." Macao said and Wakaba nodded in agreement.

"Oh darling~!"

Wakaba flinched when the screechy voice of his wife sounded from behind him. "M-Millgana!? What are you doing here!?"

The husky woman was running behind them, and catching up fast. "Darling~! Wait for me~!"

"No way!" Wakaba screamed and ran passed the other two mages, his wife passing them as well.

Cana and Macao stopped in their tracks, gave each other a look, and watched as the smoker ran for his life.

"Hahaha! That was great! If he's that scared of her, why did he marry her in the first place?"

They turned around to find a laughing Naruto.

"Yo!" He greeted casually.

Macao smirked. "Whatever little prank you're planning, it won't work on me. I've got years of experience when it comes to kids and their pranks."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He said before doing a couple hand signs, and his body was consumed by smoke.

Macao was confident that he'd be able to handle anything the blond threw at him. But what he didn't expect was for Naruto to transform into Cana, the only thing covering her private areas being the evaporating mist. "Guh!" The man flew back and fell to the ground, his nose bleeding profoundly.

That did it, Cana couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Okay, that was a good one!" She cried out while holding her sides.

The clone transformed back, a frown on his face. "Okay... Why aren't you embarrassed? Or mad? Why are you laughing!?" He demanded, frustration clear in his voice.

Cana wiped a stray tear from her eye and sighed. "If you thought I'd be embarrassed for showing a little skin, then you thought wrong man." She said and gestured to her bikini top, a confidant look on her face.

"Oh... Guess I didn't prepare as much as I should have." Naruto said and sighed, getting another laugh from the brown-haired beauty.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your prank would have worked if it was anyone else, well maybe not Mira... But whatever! Looks like you owe me a drink later!" She said and turned to leave when the clone called out to her.

"Ah, wait! I actually have a drink on me now if you want some?" He offered the beverage and the girl looked at him incredulously.

"...Is it booze?"

The doppelganger nodded happily and Cana grabbed the container without hesitation. "Well why didn't you say so? Lucky me~!" She chirped and took a long swig, only to spit it up the next second. "Ugh! This isn't booze! What is this stuff!?" She demanded angrily, her anger only growing when she saw the clone laughing his butt off. "What did I just drink!?"

After calming himself, Naruto pointed to the container on the floor. "What you drank, was coffee-" The Shadow clone didn't get to finish his sentence, Cana decked him in the face and caused it to explode.

"Damn..." She muttered, her fist shaking with anger before she crossed her arms and pouted. "He got me good." Coffee was the enemy to all alcoholics, because it made you sober. She'd have to get him back for that.

* * *

"What happened here?" Lucy said as Levy and herself ran passed what looked like an aftermath of war.

Mages were scattered everywhere. Some were covered in orange paint, others were tied up and had funny drawings on their faces. The two girls cringed when they saw Max on the ground, holding his rear.

"We better keep running, Lu-Chan." Levy said and Lucy nodded in agreement and they left the fallen mages behind.

"Damn that Naruto..." One of the victims muttered under their breath.

"Come on guys! Let's go get that prankster!"

"Yeah!" They all said in agreement and got back to the race, a new fire burning in their eyes.

* * *

Naruto looked back and grinned. "Getting tired yet?"

"Not... *Huff!* Not at all!" Jet wheezed as he trailed behind the stamina freak. 'This guy... How is he able to run this fast for so long, and only just breaking a sweat!?' Never in his life had Jet pushed himself so much just to catch up with someone!

They had just gotten their Wyvern scales at the peak of Mt. Ivor and were now running back down the mountain towards the forest.

"Hey, Jet?" Naruto asked after pulling up next to him, an idea forming in his head.

"*Huff!* What do you want?"

A mischievous grin sprawled on his face as the blonde took in the terrain for a second time. "What do you say we take a short break, catch a few Z's before having a final test of speed?"

Jet frowned, was Naruto making fun of him? Like he'd really fall for a trick like that. Although he didn't like to admit it, he was getting kind of tired. But after seeing the ninja begin to slow down, Jet sighed and did the same.

After catching his breath, Jet looked up at the ninja with a suspicious look on his face. He was about to speak but Naruto spoke up first.

"Before you ask, I just want to beat you at your best." He said with a shrug and Jet scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Well... I guess I don't mind taking a little break." He said and Naruto gave him a short nod.

That was only half of the truth. To be completely honest, there was a few pranks Naruto wanted to set up in the forest that he could only do in person. A prank that he had been planning for quite some time now.

Doing a little stretch, Naruto looked at Jet who was propping himself against a tree to rest on. 'Okay, while he's distracted...' While Jet wasn't looking, Naruto replaced himself with a shadow clone, the original now in the trees. 'Escape complete, now for some fun...'

* * *

Erza, Juvia, and Gajeel were running through the forest, Mt. Ivor poking right above the trees.

"Ah, Juvia wishes she was as fast as Naruto-Sama..." Juvia sighed as she ran alongside Erza, who chuckled.

"You really like Naruto, don't you Juvia?" She asked and the blue haired girl covered her cheeks bashfully.

"Very much so! Naruto-Sama is-" She stopped mid-sentence and began to stare at the red head suspiciously.

Noticing the stare, Erza began to feel a little uncomfortable under the girl's gaze. "W-what is it?"

Juvia narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me Erza-San is also... Juvia's rival in love!?"

The knight almost faltered in her steps. "That is not true! Naruto is a person who deeply cares for his comrades, and I respect him! That is all." Erza closed her eyes and smiled, an odd thing to do while running. "He's a reckless fool, but a fool that would go to impossible lengths to help a friend." Erza opened her eyes to see Juvia pouting at her.

Gajeel, having witnessed the entire conversation, face palmed. 'Why the hell do I have to listen to this?'

"Muuuu~!" Juvia pouted and Erza started sweating.

"Well... Um, you see-Kyah!" Erza stuttered before she suddenly fell through the ground.

Juvia and Gajeel, having been far enough from the trap, both stopped and peered down the hole and saw Erza laying in a heap.

The girl picked herself up and noticed a small note in front of her. After reading it, she crumpled the piece of paper in her hand and started trembling. "Naruto..."

Gajeel grunted in amusement before running off, not wanting to be near the now enraged woman. 'At least I'm not the only one that guy pranks.'

Even Juvia had to fight back some laughter. Naruto had told her about the pitfall trap incident that happened at Garuna Island, but seeing Erza fall for it in person was quite amusing.

Erza punched the wall of the pit. How could she have fallen for such an embarrassing trap not once, but twice now? That blonde prankster was going to be punished. Erza looked up towards the sky and screamed at the top of her lungs. "NARUTO!"

* * *

Naruto's ear twitched as he had just finished up his next trap. "Hehe, sounds like Erza had a nice fall."

Why was he doing all of this you ask? Because it was fun, plain and simple. It had been while since Naruto had gone on a pranking spree like this, and having everyone in the guild going in a specific route, he just couldn't resist.

"Come on Carla, don't stop now. Who knows what the punishment will be if we get in last place."

"*Huff!* I hate this no flying rule!"

'It's show time.' Naruto thought and hid himself, just as Wendy and Carla came into view. Just as he'd predicted, Wendy was the first to pass over his trap. But nothing happened, since she wasn't his target.

It wasn't until Carla stepped on a certain leaf when an orange four-wall barrier appeared out of nowhere, trapping the cat inside.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Carla yelled, and Wendy looked back to find her friend stuck in the rune box.

"Carla, what is that?"

"Don't worry Carla! I'll save you!" The two were surprised to see Happy plow into one of the orange walls. But his attempt was proven to be unsuccessful as he bounced right off the wall harmlessly and onto the ground. "Ouchie... That didn't work..."

"Happy-San! Are you okay?" Wendy asked and started healing the fallen feline.

Carla sighed when she noticed something in the corner of her eye, letters started forming words above her. They were sloppy, but she was still able to read them. "You can't leave until you eat this... fish?" As she finished reading, a fish on a platter appeared behind her. "Why do I have to...?"

"This is rune magic." Happy said while struggling to get up. "Freed uses this magic, but the writing seems to be too sloppy to be his. Naruto probably did this, Freed is teaching him that magic."

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. He couldn't help having sloppy handwriting, he was still a beginner! But the orange walls were his touch, and Naruto was proud of that fact.

Wendy frowned and watched as Carla glowered at the fish. 'Poor Carla... She hates eating fish.'

"Why did that beast have to put this trap here!? He's probably almost at the finish line, there's no point!" Carla demanded and stomped her foot on the ground.

"Actually, Naruto's been pranking everyone in the race." Happy said and the two looked at him with somewhat surprised looks on their faces. "He already got Natsu and Gray, and some others too."

"Just go, Wendy." Carla said all of a sudden, taking the little girl by surprise.

"It's okay Carla, I can wait-" Wendy started but the female cat cut her off.

"No really, it's fine. Don't worry I'll catch up. You too male-cat." It's not like eating the fish was going to take all that long, she just didn't want them to see the face she was about to make eating the fish.

Happy was about to protest when Wendy picked him up, understanding her friend completely. "Okay Carla, be sure to catch up!" With that, Wendy ran off with Happy in her arms.

After making sure they were far enough, Carla looked down at the plate and shivered. "Well, here goes nothing..." She said aloud and picked the scaly thing up.

Naruto reached into his jacket and pulled out a camera, he had bought one at a store for special occasions such as this. 'Say cheese...'

Just as Carla bit into her fishy meal, she gained a look of disgust that already made Naruto want to burst out laughing. But he resisted the urge and took the picture, the camera making a silent *click* before the image was saved onto the built-in lacrima. Not that he knew how any of that worked.

Not being able to contain his laughter any longer, Naruto fell on his back and started laughing.

Hearing the bursts of laughter and the shaking branch, Carla swallowed the rest of the fish and bristled with anger. "Why you... You beast!"

* * *

 **A Couple Hours Later...**

"Hey, Jet. Let's go." Naruto said and lightly kicked the teen, who had fallen asleep while they were resting.

"H-huh? Oh, yeah." Jet stood up and stretched. He was already feeling a bit sore from how hard he had been pushing himself earlier. But now that he was rested up, and knew what he was up against, there was no way he was going to lose. "Alright, let's do this!"

The two silently stood next to a tree, in their own respective starting positions and waiting for a sign to start.

A fruit attached to a nearby tree snapped off its branch and started falling to the earth. Just as it hit the ground, the two boys took off. Both with the intent to finish the race.

* * *

"Guh... How could I have fallen for such a stupid trick?" Gajeel grumbled to himself.

He had been running back down the mountain with his Wyvern scale when he caught sight of the same orange-red cat that Naruto disguised as to prank him. Obviously, it was a trick, Gajeel knew this and was just going to keep moving. That was until the transformed ninja pulled out a photo, a photo of Gajeel in the stupid cat costume.

That was something Gajeel couldn't let others see no matter what, so he gave chase and ended up stepping on a tripwire.

Now here he was, tied up and hung upside down on a tree branch. "I can't even reach the stupid wires and eat them. Damn you Uzumaki..."

"Ahahaha! You got caught, what a loser!"

Gajeel saw Natsu pointing up at him and laughing. "Put a sock in it Salamander, and get me down!" He demanded, only for his fellow dragon slayer to snort and wave him off.

"Hah! Yeah right! I'm outta here!" Natsu said and started to leave. "Have fun getting laAAAAAST!"

The iron-eating teen watched as Natsu's ankle was caught and was tied up in a similar fashion as himself. He would have palmed his face if he could, for they were now both tied up and hanging upside down.

"..."

"...Shut up."

* * *

 **At The Finish Line...**

Jason was about ready to explode, he was beyond excited. After finding out that Naruto was prankster, and a good one at that, he just couldn't get enough. "Who knew Fairy Tail's one man army was such a prankster! I for one did not expect it!" He moved the microphone to Mirajane. "Did you already know of this, about Naruto Uzumaki being a prankster?"

The barmaid nodded her head and smiled. "Yes, he's pulled a few pranks here and there before." She noticed a cloud of smoke out in the distance and Jason began to go crazy again about Naruto and Jet being neck-in-neck. 'He's never pranked so much in a single day though... Is it because of the event? Or maybe he's just in a good mood?' Mira thought as she watched the ninja in question. Naruto really was an interesting person.

"Who's going to come in first place? Jet, the undefeated champion? Or Naruto, the powerhouse ninja who came out of nowhere?"

Naruto had to admit, he was actually starting to get pretty tired. Unlike Jet, the blonde hadn't rested. He had been too busy pranking everyone using shadow clones and runes. While the clones didn't really take all that much of his energy, he had to go into sage mode every time he wrote the runes. That's what had drained him.

Jet on the other hand, looked like he was running on fumes. The poor guy seemed to be ready to collapse any moment now. But he was still keeping up with the shinobi, and Naruto had to give him props.

'Fairy Tail sure is full of tough people.' Naruto thought as the finish line came into view.

Hearing the loud and excited screams of the announcer enter his ears, Naruto rolled his eyes. 'I wonder if my pranks will be in the next sorcerer magazine. I just hope Lucy doesn't rip pages out for the quizzes again...'

Every time he bought one of the magazines, Lucy would always take it and rip a couple of the pages out before he got to read them. He didn't really mind, as she really seemed to like the quizzes, he just wondered what he missed on those pages.

It would be an understatement to say that Jet was pushing himself, he was beyond tired. But he wouldn't give up, not while Naruto was still going. That guy really had a crazy amount of stamina, but what pissed him off the most was that he was always just a little ahead of him. "I'm not gonna lose!" He yelled and poured the last of his magic into his High Speed, and he actually began to pass the ninja, much to his surprise.

'I'm gonna win! I'm gonna-' Was Jet's last thoughts before his magic stopped, indicating he was out of magic power. "Oomph!"

Naruto flinched as the mage made contact with the ground, rolling a couple times and sliding to a stop. "Oh, that had to hurt..."

Jason's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "What a surprising turn of events! Just as Jet seemed to be gaining the lead, he suddenly falls and doesn't look like he can stand again! Oh, what's this!?"

Mirajane gasped. "Oh my! I hope Jet is alright!"

Jet groaned and flipped himself onto his back. "Damn it... I was so close!" He was completely out of magic and could barely move. It was all over, now he was going to get in last place. 'There goes my title of being the fastest...'

"Hey, you're not just gonna to give up now are you? After all that?"

The speedy mage was pulled out of his thoughts by Naruto, who was looking down at him and grinning slightly.

Jet looked away and frowned. "If you're here to rub in your victory, save it."

Instead of replying, Naruto put out a hand, his grin still present.

Jet's eyes widened. "...Why?"

Naruto chuckled, his grin growing wider. "Fairy Tail mages never quit, don't they?"

Jet grinned and grabbed onto the offered hand. Naruto pulled him up and put the mage's arm around his shoulder to support him.

"What is this!? Naruto is now helping Jet up and they are now walking towards the finish line! What good sportsmanship! COOL~!" Jason screamed as Mirajane smiled fondly.

"Aww~! What a sweetheart!"

The crowd cheered as the two neared the finish line.

"Thanks, Naruto..." Jet said and Naruto chuckled.

"Don't mention it, Jet."

Some ways behind them, a screaming girl was heard, and it was steadily getting louder. When the two boys turned to see what it was, mere inches away from the finish line, they were surprised to see Lucy flying right towards them through the air.

"Lucy!?"

* * *

 **Earlier With Lucy...**

"Come on Lu-Chan, we're almost to the town." Levy beckoned her friend to step it up, but the celestial spirit mage was deadbeat tired. "I'm sorry Levy-Chan, I'm too tired."

The script magic user sighed, before an idea popped in her head. "Um, Lu-Chan? Should you hurry though? Naruto is probably going to win the race, and Jason is there..." She hinted, knowing how much Lucy didn't want the shinobi to find out about the rumors within the sorcerer's weekly magazine.

Lucy's eyes widened in realization, how could she have forgotten!? "Oh no, you're right! There's no telling what that loud-mouthed reporter will ask!"

Scrambling to get her keys, Lucy looked for a spirit that could help her in this kind of situation. Grabbing Virgo's key, she chanted the spell and the maid appeared in golden flash of light.

"Is it punishment time, Hime?"

"Virgo! I need you to carry me back to town, and as fast as you can! Please!" Lucy pleaded urgently and the spirit complied. Virgo picked her master up and carried her bridal style. "Yes! Thanks Virgo! Now, onward!"

"As you wish, Hime." Virgo said and took off in a blur of speed, her cargo screaming the whole time.

"Good luck Lu-Chan!" Levy called after her friend with a sweat-drop. 'That poor girl...'

"I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna fall!" Lucy screamed as she held onto Virgo as hard as she could, though the spirit didn't seem to mind the bone crushing hug she was receiving from her master. In fact, if one looked closely, they would notice a tad bit of red in her cheeks.

"Hime." The spirit said in her ever neutral tone, getting the screaming girl to silence herself. "You are running out of magic, so my time is almost out." She explained as the finish line came into view and Naruto could be seen helping Jet to the finish line. "I'm going to throw you, brace yourself."

"Eh?! No, wait!" Lucy cried out, but her pleas fell onto deaf ears and Virgo threw the girl like a spear.

* * *

"WAHHHH~!" Lucy squealed as she flew straight into Naruto, and the two tumbled right over the finish line to tie for first.

Jet rolled over the finish line shortly after, coming in for second place.

"Oh my..." Mirajane, and the rest of the crowd gasped at the scene in front of them. Jason took out his camera and took a picture, without so much as a word coming out of his mouth.

Lucy groaned and opened her eyes, only for them to widen exponentially. Naruto stared up at her with equally wide eyes. She was on top of him, and their lips were touching.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh my...**


	21. Surprises At The Race's End

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/11/2017**

* * *

Naruto's mind was racing back and forth. 'Where the hell did she come from!? No, that doesn't matter anymore... Lucy's going to kill me!'

Lucy's mind was in a similar state, her heart was beating like there was no tomorrow. 'This isn't happening! This isn't happening! Please tell me this isn't happening!'

She was kissing Naruto, on the lips! It was a complete accident, but kissing was still kissing!

'Oh god... we're still kissing!' Lucy quickly got up, separating their lips, and scrambled off her fellow blond.

At the same time, Naruto immediately got onto his hands and knees. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" He pleaded, but Lucy didn't hear a word he was saying.

Instead, she just stared at the ground in front of her, and hand on her lips. 'I just... K-k-kissed Naruto...!'

While they were doing this, a certain white haired beauty giggled to herself. 'Oh my... That was quite unexpected.' She mused, but was pulled out of her thoughts when a flash of pink flashed past her. 'Oh? What's this?'

"NAR-U-TO~!"

Naruto was still begging for forgiveness when he heard the angered voice coming from behind Lucy, and a lot of killer intent.

Acting on instinct and activating Sage Mode, Naruto got up moved in front of Lucy defensively. The girl jolting in surprise from the sudden action. "Huh? Wha-!"

 **Boom!**

Naruto caught the incoming fist in his own, and the ground underneath them cracked from the pressure of the blow.

'This is... Chakra!?' Naruto thought when he came face to face with a familiar set of emerald green eyes, and they were infuriated. "Sakura-Chan!?"

Naruto glanced behind the angry girl and found Kakashi waving at him lazily with a deadpanned expression on his face. "Kakashi-Sensei too!?" Next to the man, Naruto found sweat-dropping Yamato, a cheering Rock Lee, and an intrigued Tenten holding a fainted Hinata. "When did you guys get here!?"

* * *

 **Earlier In The Hokage's Office...**

Six ninja stood in a line in front of the Hokage's desk. The person behind that desk was Tsunade Senju herself.

"Kakashi, I see you have assembled your team. Good. The toads are now going to explain how this is going to work." Tsunade said and nodded to Fukasaku, and the elder toad nodded back before speaking.

"We've been workin on a way to get ya to the same place as Naruto boy, and have come up with this." The toad said and threw a small scroll to each of the six ninja.

They each caught the scroll and began to inspect it.

"That there is what we call a temporary summoning contract. With it, we'll be able to reverse summon ya to the other world."

Sakura raised a hand. "What if we already have a contract made with another summon?"

Lee raised his hand and spoke as well. "And I cannot use Ninjutsu, how will I be able to participate?"

Fukasaku grinned at the questions, pride evident in his smile. "It's a temporary contract and we will be the ones doing the summoning. So even if ya already signed a contact with another summon, or cannot perform Ninjutsu, this will still work."

Kakashi put a hand on his chin and hummed. "I see... Very clever indeed."

Tsunade coughed into her hand to get everyone's attention. "Now then, sign the contracts and go find Naruto!"

"Yes, Tsunade-Sama!" The squad yelled and bit their thumbs hard enough to draw blood. They then wrote their names in the miniature scrolls, completing the temporary contract.

Fukasaku nodded approvingly. "We will reverse summon ya to the other world in a few moments." He said and disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Tsunade then watched as the ninja began to disappear one by one until the room was left with only Shizune and herself. "Good grief, that brat is tiring me out all the way from a different dimension. I need a drink..."

* * *

Kakashi opened his one visible eye and looked around. They were in a town on an empty street, that much was for sure. But there wasn't a whole lot of people, if not anyone around.

"We've summoned ya a little ways from the guild called Fairy Tail, the place that Naruto boy is staying with so he should be around here. Good luck to ya." Fukasaku said and he and the other toads went back to Mt. Myōboku.

Kakashi glanced back at his squad and noticed they were all looking around the place in awe. It was to be expected, the place did look a lot different than Konoha, and the air here seemed so fresh. 'What a pleasant town.' Kakashi mused before Lee pointed off in the distance and yelled.

"There's a crowd over there! Yosh~! That must be where Naruto-Kun is!" He declared before taking off running.

"Ah, Lee wait. We should stay toge-"

"Hold it, Lee! Kakashi-Sensei hasn't given us orders yet!" Sakura yelled and ran after the boy.

Tenten and Hinata both looked at each other before chasing after the two.

Kakashi just stood there, a sweat-drop sliding down his face.

Yamato pat the man's shoulder understandingly. "Shall we go to then, senpai?"

When Lee made it to the crowd, he pushed his way through, ignoring the angry shouts and complaints. But when he made it to the front, his eyes widened in surprise from what he saw.

Sakura pushed her way through the crowd and grabbed onto Lee's vest. "Don't just go running off on your own!" She scolded while shaking the teen around, but stopped when Lee pointed at what he saw. "Wha..." Sakura gaped as the other came through the crowd, gaping at the sight as well.

There they found Naruto. But he was on the ground, under a girl with blond hair, and they were kissing.

'Naruto-Kun is... K-k-k-kissing s-someone!?' Hinata thought with a growing blush on her face before her head overheated and the girl passed out due to an emotion overload.

'So the rumors of Naruto and Sasuke being gay are lies? Interesting...' Tenten thought as she caught the now unconscious Hyūga heiress.

"The flames youth burn brighter than ever, Naruto-Kun!" Lee cheered gave the teen a thumbs up.

Kakashi and Yamato both sweat-dropped when Sakura began to shake visibly. 'Oh boy... Here it comes...'

"NAR-U-TO!"

* * *

 **Present...**

"And here we are." Kakashi said with a shrug.

As soon as the race was ended, they had decided to talk in the guild and were now all sitting at one of the larger tables in the bar. Some of the other guild members had tried to talk with them, but Naruto shooed them away, asking if they could talk in private fist. But that didn't stop them from sitting at the nearby tables so they could hear the conversation.

Makarov had yet to show either, but he was probably busy with something and Naruto trusted the old man would show up later.

Naruto grinned as he looked at his fellow ninja. They were all finally here! But there was still bothering him. "Why didn't you tell me how you were going to get here!?"

Yamato shook his head. "Because if we told, you would constantly summon the toads thinking it would get us here faster. Am I wrong?"

The Uzumaki scratched his cheek, a goofy grin on his face. "Yeah... That's probably true."

"Naruto..." Sakura said and Naruto sent her a questioning look, causing a tick-mark to form on her forehead. "Would mind explaining something to us?"

Oblivious to what was bothering the girl, he tilted his head in confusion. "What is it Sakura-Chan?

Sakura pointed to the blue haired woman who was currently attached to Naruto's left arm. "Who is that and why is she so attached to you!?"

"Yes, Naruto-Sama. Are you going to introduce Juvia to your friends?" Juvia asked shyly, like a fiancé being introduced to her groom's family.

Sakura's eye twitching at the "Sama" part.

Noticing the medi-nin's annoyed look, Naruto laughed awkwardly and gestured to the girl next to him. "Guy's, this is Juvia. She's a really friendly person and easy to get along with. Oh, and she can do all sorts of stuff with water!"

'Friendly... He says.' Kakashi mused as Sakura fought to conceal her temper, having promised not to lash out inside the guild.

"Senpai. Should I include in the report to Tsunade-Sama that Naruto got a girlfriend... or two?"

The ex-Anbu captain shook his head. "Nah, we'll let him do it."

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Huh, girlfriend?"

"See?" Kakashi said with an eye-smile.

"G-g-girfriend!?" Juvia let go of the blonde's arm, clasped her cheeks and began mumbling random stuff to herself.

Before Naruto could ask what they were talking about, a tiny voice spoke up from across the table.

"Um, Naruto-Kun? W-who was that other girl... At the race?" Hinata asked while poking her fingers together.

Lee suddenly stood up and slammed his arms onto the table. "Was she giving you a reward for completing the race? Yosh~! Then I will do five-hundred laps around this town and get a kiss from Sakura-San! And if I cannot do that, I will do one-thousand push-ups and sit-ups!" He declared, his eyes burning with determination.

"I don't think that was the case, Lee..." Tenten said in a tired voice as her teammate took a seat excitedly, clearly not listening.

Naruto laughed and looked over at Hinata, causing the timid girl to look down at her fingers. "You must be talking about Lucy. Yeah, she ran off after that little accident." Naruto explained while rubbing the back of his head.

'Accident?' Hinata's eyes widened a little, hope flashing in her lavender irises.

Suddenly, a short man jumped onto their table. "Hello ninja of Konoha! Welcome to Fairy Tail! No, that isn't right... Welcome to Earthland!" Makarov said and laughed wholeheartedly.

"Who's the little guy?" Tenten asked Naruto, and Makarov nearly face faulted at the mentioning of his height.

"That's old man Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail." Naruto said and laughed when the girl's eyes widened in surprise

Tenten quickly turned to the man and bowed. "M-my apologies!"

The others were equally surprised by the revelation. It was written in Naruto's report that the master of the guild was short, but they weren't expecting the man to be this short!

Makarov coughed into his hand before speaking. "Yes, my name is Makarov Dreyar. It must have been a long trip, dimensional travel that is."

"Not at all, I'm actually surprised how easy it was to get here." Kakashi said with a wave of his hand. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Kakashi Hatake, a jounin of Konoha. Thank you for taking care of Naruto and I apologize for any troubles he might have caused for you. He can be quite a handful if left unsupervised."

"Hey! I resent that!" Naruto pouted, causing Makarov to laugh.

"Yes he is quite a troublesome brat, this one."

Naruto crossed his arms and looked away childishly. "No one asked you old man!"

"Would you like anything to eat or drink? Mira-Chan is a great cook." Makarov asked and gestured to the barmaid behind him, ignoring the now sulking jinchuuriki.

"Hello everyone, my name is Mirajane, but you can call me Mira! If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me." She cheerfully said with a bow and the ninja were taken aback by the girl's beauty.

"Thank you, Mira-San. But I was wondering if there was a place where we could talk with a little more... privacy?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile, and the guild members looked away and started whistling.

Makarov gave them a hard look before sighing. "We can go up to my office and continue there. The kids can stay and get to know the other guild members. I'm sure they're dying to talk to you guys."

"Thank you." Kakashi said appreciatively and got up to follow the man up to his office. Yamato followed behind shortly after, feeling as if it was in his best interest, and he was right.

Not being able to contain their excitement any longer, the rest of the guild crowded around the ninjas.

"You're all from the same place as Naruto, right?"

"Does that mean you can all create clones and walk on walls and stuff?"

Before they knew it, the ninjas were scattered around the guild, talking with different members.

"So, are you Naruto's girlfriend or something?" Cana asked Sakura and the pink haired girl frantically shook her head.

"No no no, just friends! We're like brother and sister!" Sakura said frantically before looking around the guild. "Hey, what do you know about those girls that are supposedly always around Naruto? What are they to him?"

Cana grinned slyly, was she really not his girlfriend? That was certainly a question someone would ask out of jealousy "You mean Lucy and Juvia? Well, nothing has really happened. Naruto is one of the densest boys I've ever seen."

Sakura sighed, partially about Naruto being dense, and the other relief. For Hinata's sake of course. She had to look out for her friend's love, right? "Tell me about it."

"Hey, big eyebrows guy! Are you strong? Fight me!" Natsu demanded and Gray put a hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Knock it off Natsu, he just got here. Besides, if he's anything like Naruto, you'll just get your ass kicked."

Natsu shook Gray's hand off and grabbed onto his rival's collar. "What was that Gray? Are you picking a fight with me first!?"

Lee stepped between the two boys and separated them. "I understand your youthful desire to fight, but let us save that for another time." He gave them a thumbs up and his teeth sparkled, earning strange looks from the two. "I will gladly accept your challenge later!"

"You're weird." Natsu bluntly said.

"At least he's got manners." Gray scoffed and he was shoved into one of the tables by Natsu. The two then proceeded to duke it out, with Lee trying his best to stop them.

"He's trying to stop them, but I'm sure he really wants to fight as well." Tenten said with a sigh as a woman with red hair wearing armor sat in front of her.

"Hello, my name is Erza Scarlet. Welcome to Fairy Tail. It's nice to finally meet some of Naruto's friends." Erza said and extended her arm out to shake hands, which Tenten gladly accepted.

'She's really pretty…' Tenten thought as she shook the red-haired beauty's hand. "The name's Tenten, that's some nice armor. Are you a knight?" Tenten asked and the red-head nodded.

"I use Requip magic. It allows me to swap out my weapons and armor without having to carry them around with me." To show what she was talking about, Erza stood up and requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor and Tenten's jaw gaped in awe. "This armor grants me the ability to fly, and summon a multitude of swords in which I can command remotely." She explained and summoned forth a couple blades and they danced around her.

"That's..." Tenten began to say, but it didn't stop there.

The S-Class mage swapped armors again, this time to her Lightning Empress Armor. "This armor grants me great resistance to electricity-" She started but stopped when Tenten began to inspect her, or more specifically, her equipment.

"These weapons and armors are amazing! Not only are you able to change them to your advantage in the middle of a battle with no penalties, but you also look stylish! Is this what magic is?" Noticing the knight's amused look, Tenten took a step back and blushed. "Sorry, I tend to get a little overexcited when it comes to these kinds of things... I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to weapons."

Erza smiled, she was glad to meet another person that appreciated weapons and armors as much as she did. "If you like weapons so much, maybe I can show you my collection sometime." She offered and Tenten beamed in excitement.

"Really?! That would be great!" Tenten had a feeling she was really going to get along with this woman.

"Eh!? Naruto-San is from another dimension!?" Wendy's eyes were like saucers. "That's so cool!"

Naruto laughed at how easily the little girl believed him. "Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you earlier. Everyone else already knew so it kinda just slipped my mind."

Wendy shook her head. "It's okay, I just can't believe how many interesting people this guild has! Fairy Tail sure is amazing!"

"Fairy Tail is a man!" Elfman roared out, causing Naruto to laugh even harder.

'I'm glad to see you're having fun, Naruto-Kun.' Hinata thought to herself and smiled fondly.

Mirajane giggled at the two before noticing the way Hinata was looking at Naruto. A devious look dawned the barmaid's features for a split second. 'Oh my... This could be interesting.'

Lee suddenly came out of nowhere and bumped into Elfman. "Huh? If you wanna fight me, face me like a man!" Elfman demanded as Lee picked himself off the floor.

"That is an honorable way of looking at things. Very well, I will accept your youthful challenge!" Lee said before the two went silent.

"...Youth?"

"...Men?"

They said and stared at each other for moment. Then, something clicked in their brains.

"Youthful men!" Lee and Elfman yelled out in unison with an arm slung around the others shoulder, a new friendship having been formed.

"The name's Elfman, what is your name new comrade?"

"I am Konoha's handsome devil, Rock Lee! Pleasure to have your acquaintance, Elfman-Kun!"

Naruto was laughing at their interactions when he felt a tug on his shoulder. "Hm? Oh, Hinata? What's up?"

"Um, Naruto-Kun? About that... a-accident you mentioned earlier. H-how did it happen?" Hinata asked nervously, and all the girls stared at the whiskered teen intensely. In fact, the whole guild hall went silent so they could hear him speak.

Growing uncomfortable from the sudden attention, Naruto put his hands up in defense. "I was just finishing the race, and I turn around and Lucy crashed into me out of nowhere. Our lips just happened to touch. It was an accident, I swear!" He rushed the last part when he noticed Sakura's face becoming red with anger.

When he wasn't beaten to a pulp, Naruto looked up and found the girl crossing her arms. "Well, if you say it was just an accident, then I'll believe you."

Sakura-Chan...!' Naruto beamed, she actually believed him and didn't beat the crap out of him! 'I Guess there really was a first to everything.' Naruto thought and let out a breath he had been holding. "Lucy's probably back at our apartment, I'll have to go and apologize to her later." He said and instantly regretted it.

* * *

 **Makarov's Office...**

"YOU LIVE TOGETHER!?" The three men heard, followed by a not so manly scream and a series of light tremors.

"Such a lively bunch, those kids are." Makarov mused and took a swig from a drink he had brought with him from the bar. He felt he was gonna need it.

"Sorry..." Both Kakashi and Yamato both said at the same time, causing the guild master to chuckle.

"No need to apologize, you ninja seem to fit in here quite well if you ask me." After another drink, Makarov placed his empty mug down and became a little more serious. "Well then, I assume this is about that demon fox sealed inside the boy?"

When the two shinobi nodded, Makarov waved them off. "Feh, everyone in this guild already knows about it. It doesn't really matter."

The two blinked at the old man's dismissal. "The Kyuubi is a powerful demon with power that could level a town this size in a matter of minutes."

Makarov shook his head. "The boy is strong, he wouldn't let such a thing happen. But if such a time came, his family would stop him."

"Family?"

The old man nodded. "Here in Fairy Tail, we treat our members like family. Naturally, as the master of this guild, I treat each and every member like they are my own child."

Kakashi's eye widened, for a second he could have sworn he was listening to the third Hokage.

"But enough about that, I'm assuming you're all going to be staying here for a while. You're welcome to stay at the guild until you find a place to stay. We have a dormitory where some of the guild members stay, but it's for girls only..."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Makarov-Dono." Kakashi was taken aback from the old man's generosity. If Naruto told Makarov anything about their world, he obviously knew what Konoha ninja did for a profession. To not only allow a group of highly trained assassins into his home, but offer them a place to stay without hesitation? It was bewildering to the jonin. "Actually, Makarov-Dono, there was another thing that we need to discuss before anything else."

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What would that be?"

"There is a terrorist organization in the Elemental Nations called the Akatsuki. Their goal is to capture all nine tailed beasts, which means..."

"Naruto." Makarov finished with a frown, a look of sorrow adorning his old features.

Kakashi nodded and pulled out a book from his leg pouch. He then placed it onto the desk, and Makarov picked it up and began to look it over. "That there is the knowledge we have on the Akatsuki and its members."

"Make-out Tactics? Quite an odd name for a book that contains such crucial information..." Makarov mused as he flipped through some of the pages. 'Huh... Not bad...'

Kakashi blinked before realizing his mistake. "Oh, sorry about that. That's mine actually... Here, this is the journal I was actually talking about."

Yamato sweatdropped as his superior swapped books with Makarov. 'Senpai...'

The copy ninja put his most valuable possession away and cleared his throat. "Well then, I guess that's enough talking for now. But there are some things that I need to discuss with Naruto."

* * *

As the three adults walked down the stairs, Makarov used his magic to get to Kakashi's height so that he could whisper into the tall man's ear, much to their mild surprise. "If it's not too much to ask... I'd like to borrow that other book of yours later, if you don't mind."

"I don't see a problem, I'll lend it to you as soon as I'm finished with it. I just got to the best part of the book you see." Kakashi said and the two let out a couple perverted giggles, causing the wood style user to shake his head.

'Well those two seem to be getting along...'

Their giggling was short lived when they heard a shout and the sound of wood breaking. Makarov's jaw dropped to the floor as he witnessed the state of the bar hall. "My guild!" He sobbed as anime tears began to fall from his eyes.

'Guess she finally snapped...' Kakashi thought as he consoled his new friend. Though he had to wonder, why was everyone else in the building acting like nothing was wrong? There was a fight in the guild and they didn't seem to care. Just how lax were the people here?

Sakura chased Naruto around the place, destroying anything, or anyone, that got in her way.

"So while we were all worried sick about you back in Konoha, you're here playing around with that Juvia girl and some busty blond!?" Sakura yelled angrily as she lounged and tried to grab Naruto, who dodged and cringed as another table was obliterated in his stead.

"Wait Sakura-Chan! It's a misunderstanding!" Naruto pleaded as he continued to avoid the pink haired girl's clutches. 'She's really going to kill me this time!'

"Who are you calling some busty blond!?"

Sakura stopped chasing the fleeting Uzumaki and snapped her view towards the source of the voice. The girl that was with Naruto at the end of the race was standing at the guild's entrance.

"Ah..." Lucy muttered meekly as she now had the entire guild's attention.

'How peculiar... So fights must be a normal occurrence here. But as soon as something dramatic happens, all eyes are on that. What an odd bunch.' Kakashi mused to himself as Lucy walked over to the Konoha group.

"Um, I'm sorry I just ran off without saying anything earlier. I was just a little surprised is all..." Lucy said to them and bowed, stealing a quick glance at Naruto. "My name is Lucy, it's nice to finally meet you all! Naruto has told me so much about you all and how excited he was to see you... Um, is something wrong?" She asked nervously as the Sakura stared at her.

'This girl is... surprisingly normal.' Sakura thought as she stared at the now fidgeting mage. Compared to what she'd seen from the other people she'd met here, this Lucy person was polite, spoke normally, and didn't have an odd quirk that completely stood out.

Realizing that she was staring, Sakura shook her head and smiled. "Sorry about that, I'm Sakura. It's a pleasure to meet you too Lucy."

As things finally returned to normal again, Naruto sighed in relief. He was glad Lucy was okay and Sakura wasn't trying to kill him anymore. He then looked around the state of the guild hall and sweat-dropped. 'I see Sakura-Chan hasn't changed...'

Kakashi was still trying to stop Makarov from crying. "I'm sorry about Sakura, she's got a bit of a short temper..."

Finally settling down a bit, the elder man pointed at the wood splinters on the ground while wiping his tear stained face. "Those were brand new tables too..." He sobbed as Yamato walked forward and placed his hands onto the floor. To Makarov's surprise, a new set of wooden chairs and a table sprouted from the ground and and replaced the broken ones. "Wha...!"

"I'm a wood style user..." The anbu captain said as he made another set of wooden furniture. "This is the least I can do for your generosity." He was surprised to find the guild master bubbling with joy.

"You lot can stay for as long as you want! Let's party!" The guild master gleefully yelled and the everyone cheered.

* * *

 **Later That Night...**

Most of the guild members had left for the night, it really had been a long day. First the twenty-four-hour race, then the ninjas from Naruto's home world. Most of them were just about ready to pass out from all the excitement.

"Where are you guys going to be staying?" Naruto asked as he helped Mirajane clean the place up. "I'd offer to let you stay at our place, but it'd be kind of cramped..."

Kakashi shook his head. "No need to worry about us, we'll manage something." They had originally planned on having Yamato create a house for them via wood style, but the man had used so much chakra patching the guild and its furniture. Kakashi didn't want Naruto to worry about that and figured they would figure something out.

"I see... If you have nowhere to go for the night, I don't wouldn't mind if you stayed at my place for the night." Erza walked over to Tenten and grabbed the girl's arm, then proceeded to drag her out of the guild.

"Ah, okay then. See you guys tomorrow!" Tenten said, growing excited to see the knight's collection.

"Heh, I guess Erza took a liking to Tenten. It makes sense though, with them both liking weapons so much and all." Naruto said with a chuckle before turning back to the others. "So what about you guys?"

"I wouldn't mind taking Hinata and Sakura with me to our house, I'm sure Elfman wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch." Mirajane offered as she finished wiping one of the tables Yamato had made. "Though I don't think there is enough room for the rest of you. I'm sorry..."

"Of course I wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch, Nee-San. In fact, I'll sleep outside like a man!" Elfman declared and Lee buzzed with excitement.

"Your youthful decision has inspired me, Elfman-Kun! I too, shall sleep in the wilderness!"

"Like youthful men!" The two shouted and ran out the door.

"There's no need for you to go that far..." Mirajane tried, but the two boys were already gone. "I'm glad to see those two getting along so well, but I can't help but worry they're going to go overboard and catch a cold."

"Are they going to be okay?" Lucy asked worriedly. Sleeping outside was just...

"Yeah, Lee does this sort of thing all of the time. But we better make sure they at least have blankets." Sakura said and the three girls waved the rest goodnight before leaving.

Hinata wanted to talk with Naruto a little more, but it was too late now that they were leaving for the night. But it was okay, there was always tomorrow.

"Kakashi-Sensei, here." Naruto said and handed the silver haired man a scroll. "This should be enough money for you and Yamato-Taichou to find a place for the night."

"No no no, what kind of teacher would I be accepting money from his student." Kakashi said and tried to give the scroll back, but Naruto just smirked.

"What, you think I'm giving you the money for free?" He said and began to leave, waving a hand behind him as he walked. "Don't worry, you guys can each treat me to Ichiraku ramen when we find a way to get me home."

As the two men stared at the jinchuuriki in a mixture of surprise and amusement, Lucy frowned as Naruto's last few words floated around in her head. 'When you find a way home... huh?' She shook the thoughts out of her head and bid the two teachers goodnight before catching up with her partner.

"He's sure grown a lot since we've last seen him... huh Senpai?" Yamato said as they watched Naruto walk down the street.

Kakashi nodded, an almost sad look in his eye. "Yeah, he sure has..."

* * *

"Man, today was crazy! I can't believe they're finally here!" Naruto said as he and Lucy walked towards their apartment, holding his arms behind his head in a casual way.

"Yeah, I'm so tired I feel like I could just fall asleep right now." Lucy said as she stiffed a yawn, this had definitely been one of the longest days ever.

"Want me to carry you?" Naruto joked and laughed to himself before feeling Lucy press herself onto his back.

"Yes please..." She said tiredly and Naruto blushed from the sudden contact.

"O-okay."

Naruto carried Lucy piggyback style as they shared a couple moments of silence. "You feeling okay Lucy?" The flustered teen asked, his blush growing deeper when his passenger straightened herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just used up all of my magic during the race, then your friends showed up... It's just been a long day."

The shinobi hummed and they shared another moment of silence.

"Hey, about the race..." Naruto said, breaking the silence again. "I wanna apologize for what happened at the end."

Lucy didn't answer for a moment, and he guessed that maybe she had fallen asleep. That is until she let out a few laughs. "Why are you always like that? You always apologize, even if you're not the one at fault. Unless you're pranking someone that is."

Naruto laughed.

"...That was my first kiss you know, you better take responsibility." Lucy joked the last part as they got to the front of the apartment building. She could have sworn she felt him tense up a bit, but it quickly faded. "Naruto?"

"Hey, do you think you can make to the room? I just remembered I had something to do." Naruto suddenly asked and gently put her down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is something wrong?" She asked, hearing the slight urgency in his voice.

"Yeah everything's fine, I'll just be a few minutes." Naruto said casually and Lucy frowned.

"Well, okay then. I'll stay up till you get back." Whatever it was he was hiding, she'd make him tell her later.

"Okay." Naruto said and waited for his friend to be inside before jumping to the rooftops. "You can come out now, I know you're there."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a person jumped onto the top of the building just across from him. The person's appearance was covered by the shadows of the night.

Seeing as they weren't going to say anything, Naruto spoke first. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

The clouds above them moved and the moonlight shined down on the top of the building the mysterious person was standing on, revealing their appearance.

He was a tall man, standing at about six-foot maybe six-foot one, and looked to be in his mid to late forties. He wore black traditional samurai armor that had metal plates on his chest, shoulders, and waist. He had medium length red hair that went just to his shoulders and a headband on his forehead with the same symbol as the swirl on Naruto's jacket. The man had two noticeable weapons on him. A sword, which was strapped to his belt on his right side like a samurai, and a rather large halberd on his back.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. That symbol was just like the one on his jacket, what did that mean? Was he from the Elemental Nations?

"My name is Gale, and I have been watching over you from the shadows." He said and the blond frowned.

"Watching me? For how long?"

"For a very long time." Gale answered and Naruto was about to ask another question when the strange man cut him off. "We have a lot to discuss, but not now. It is not safe."

"Not safe, what do you mean? Just who are you?" Naruto asked but was not answered and Gale peered past him. "He is watching us."

Naruto turned around and almost missed the tiniest of movements on one of the nearby buildings. It looked like a rat, but it had a creepy smiled on its face. It was almost like the creature he had seen when he was confronted by Ivan. "Wait, you mean Ivan is spying-" Naruto started but stopped mid-sentence, for the man was now gone. "Well that's just great..."

* * *

 **A/N: Spirit here coming in with a quick(ish) update! There really is a first for everything, isn't there? :p**

 **The Konoha group is finally here! Let me know what you thought of the interactions!**

 **I've always thought that if Elfman and Lee ever met, they'd get along pretty well. XD**

 **I'm sure you're all probably wondering: "Who the heck is Gale!?" Well, Gale is an OC created by Lockdownoo who gave me permission to use his character in this story! You have my thanks for letting me add this interesting character to my story Lockdownoo! ^^**

 **As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, review or P.M. me to let me know!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

* * *

 **Omake…**

"Your teacher was a writer?" Lucy asked, looking back at her partner from her desk. She was currently working her 'secret project'. She and Naruto were hanging out in their apartment with Erza and Tenten, the latter wanting to see what their shared room looked like.

Naruto nodded and took out his late sensei's greatest piece of work, placing it on the small table he was sitting at with Erza and Tenten. No, not Icha Icha Paradise… But Jiraiya's first book: "Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja". "Yeah, this one is my favorite. Though it didn't sell as good as this crap…" He said, poking a copy of the infamous love novel distastefully.

"Calling your master's novel 'crap' is disrespectful, Naruto." Erza said, picking up the little green book and flipping through a couple of the pages.

"No, those books actually are crap Erza-San…" Tenten said with a wave of her hand. In all honesty, the Icha Icha Paradise series was an enemy to all women. Ninety-nine percent of the people who bought the books were men. But Tenten was surprised when Erza began to nod her head as she continued to read.

"Hm… This is actually not that bad. I assume they sold well?"

While Tenten fell out of her chair in surprise, Naruto chuckled at the red-head's reaction. "The books did so well I'm surprised they never made a movie out of them, ya know?"

Erza's eyes widened. '…Movie?'

Tenten snorted. "Probably because those scenes are impossible to act out."

"Nonsense! We shall act some of these scenes out to prove it!" Erza declared with a gleam in her eyes, causing Tenten to fall out of her chair once more.

Lucy sweatdropped. 'Erza's getting fired up… Is it because she wants to act again?'

"Is she always like this?" Tenten whispered to Naruto, who nodded while laughing awkwardly.

"It's best just to go along with her…"

As much as Tenten wanted to decline, her instincts were screaming at her not to in fear of angering the knight.

After few moments later, Naruto and Lucy stood on one side of the room while Erza and Tenten stood on the other side, each with a copy of the Icha Icha Paradise to read from.

Erza thrust a hand forward to initiate the scene and pointed a shaky finger at the two blondes in front her. "H-how could you betray m-me like this… Olivia!"

Lucy almost face-faulted. 'She has stage fright in front of just us!?' But she quickly recovered and began to read out her lines. "Because I'm the one who belongs with Chad! His heart already belongs to me!" She said while clutching onto Naruto's free arm. Despite it being an act, this was extremely embarrassing for Lucy. 'But telling Erza no while she's like this would be even worse!'

"Racheal gasped. Her best friend had just admitted to stealing her lover!" Tenten read out in a dramatic voice, and Erza acted out the scene with stiff movements. 'Why am I doing this…?'

"I'm sorryNaruto said before his eyes widened, he recognized this scene. 'Wait… This next scene is…!'

But before he could stop the scene, Lee burst into the room out of nowhere. "Naruto-Kun, my youthful rival! I challenge you to a spar-Pugh-!"

Rock Lee was immediately smashed in the face and launched out the way he came.

Tenten unconsciously backed away from the red-headed girl, dropping the book in her hands. 'S-she's just like Tsunade-Sama! Beautiful, yet overwhelmingly powerful!'

'Poor Lee-San…' Lucy thought, before she blushed and pulled away from Naruto when she realized she was still holding his arm so closely.

Naruto sighed, relieved that the scene was miraculously stopped by Lee. 'Sorry bushy-brows, but thanks-'

"Wah!"

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a scream, and both he and Tenten gawked when Lucy was hurled out the window.

Luckily the window had been left open, but Lucy flew out of the apartment and into the canal in front of the apartment with a splash.

"Luc-er… Olivia~!" Naruto shouted, before he began to sweat bullets when Erza began to walk towards him. 'Erza's taking this WAY too seriously!' He looked to Tenten for help, but the girl had gone out the window after Lucy to ensure the girl's safety.

Naruto took a step back and fell back into a chair. There was no escape.

"If words aren't enough to sway you…" Erza said in a low, sultry voice as she requiped into a night gown and straddled the blonde on the chair. "Then I'll have to use… other methods."

Naruto blushed furiously as Erza began to unzip his jacket, his mind racing in too many directions for him to say anything. 'W-w-w-what do I do!? Erza's gone crazy!'

Erza leaned forward, to the point where her lips were almost brushing against his ear. "Could you fall for me?"

'Guh!'

By the time Lucy and Tenten made it back up the room, they found Naruto slouching in the couch, his head steaming. While Erza was sitting at the table, casually sipping on some tea with her leg crossed over the other.

"I think that was a success, don't you think?" Erza said with a glint in her eyes.

"Naruto!? Are you okay?" Lucy said, rushing to her partner's side. But the teen was completely out of it.

"Sh-she's too powerful…!" Naruto said before passing out to a severe nosebleed.

Tenten looked at Naruto and Erza back and forth before settling her gaze on the S-Class mage in bewilderment. 'Erza-San… What did you do?' She began to flip through the book to find what the scene was, but found nothing that could have knocked out Naruto.

Unknown to the two girls, Naruto, creator of the Sexy Jutsu, had just been taken out by his own technique.


	22. What's the Plan?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/11/2017**

* * *

"Hey, are you going to tell me what you were doing last night?" Lucy asked as she and Naruto walked to the guild.

Naruto nodded, seeing as there was really no point in hiding it. "I sensed someone following us, and I investigated. There was this weird samurai guy and..." He stopped and crossed his arms while looking at the ground in thought.

Lucy beckoned for him to continue. "…And?"

The shinobi uncrossed his arms and looked at her. "...And I think he might be from the Elemental Nations."

The girl's eyes widened slightly. "Really? Do you think he's from that terrorist organization that's after you?" She asked while looking around suspiciously. It was scary to think that a mysterious person like was following them.

They walked through the guild gates and towards the front doors. "No, I don't think so. I've fought with some of the Akatsuki members, and he didn't feel like any of them. But something he said bugs me."

"What did they say?" Lucy asked as they waved to Max at the guild's gift shop, but she looked away she missed the slight glare he sent to the now snickering ninja.

When Lucy looked back at Naruto, he shook his head. "The guy said he's been watching me for a long time. But that can't be true, because I would have been able to sense him."

"If you think he's from the Elemental Nations, maybe try asking one of your teachers about him. Well, I'm going to go see Mira-San. I need to ask her something." Lucy said as they opened the doors, and the girl walked inside and went straight to the bar where she hoped to find Mirajane.

Naruto was about to follow her when a cloaked man bumped into him, causing the ninja to stagger backwards. "Hey, watch it!" Naruto yelled and shook an angry fist, what was this guy in such a hurry for?

"Ah, my apologies." The person said politely with a bow and made way to leave but was stopped when Naruto grabbed onto his shoulder. "Hold on a second..." Taking a closer look, Naruto raised an eyebrow at who it was. "Jella-er... Jay?" He was still getting used to calling the man that. But he had to admit, it had been quite a while since he'd talked with the blue haired man. "What are you in such a hurry for?"

"Oh, good morning Naruto-San. I was trying to leave on my mission before Erza got here..." Jellal said in a nervous tone, looking like he was just itching to leave.

Naruto chuckled. "Erza, huh? What, did you make her mad or something?"

The hooded man nodded. "She's rather... upset that I didn't participate in the twenty-four-hour race." But from what he'd heard from some of the other members, he was kind of glad he'd decided to go on a job instead. Who knows what kind of prank Naruto would have pulled on him.

"Yeah, she did seem a little upset over that didn't she… Alright, you better get out of here. I can sense that she's heading here right now, and not very far." Naruto said and Jellal nodded gratefully and left with haste.

Not long after he'd left, Erza and Tenten came walking into the guild. "Good morning Erza, Tenten." Naruto greeted as he held the door open for the ladies, earning a suspicious look from the knight.

"I trust you're not planning something so early in the morning, are you Naruto?" Erza asked and folded her arms like a parent telling her kid to keep out of trouble.

"Don't worry, I'm all pranked out." Naruto said with a shrug and Erza hummed in approval. 'For now anyways...' He added to himself as he smiled.

"Good. But I would like to remind you that you still owe me a seasonal strawberry cake, the one that you splattered all over Jay's face." The red-head said and clenched her fist, having missed the chance to taste it due to lack of time. "Speaking of Jay, have you seen him? I've been looking for him but he always seems to be gone."

'I wonder why...' Naruto thought and sweatdropped. As nice as Erza was most of the time, she was even scarier than Sakura when angered, and that was saying something. "I haven't seen him around lately, that guy always seems to be out on a job. He must be working hard."

Erza smiled. "Yes, I am pleased to see how much effort he is putting into atoning for his sins. Though we haven't had as much luck returning his memories as I had hoped... Well I'll be off now, there is something I must discuss with the master." She said and began to walk off before she stopped and turned to Tenten, who was looking a bit confused. "Ah, before I go. Tenten, if you still need a place to stay, my door is always open."

"Thanks Erza-San!" Tenten said and waved to her new friend before turning to Naruto. "Hey, who is this Jay person anyways?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "She didn't mention him at all?"

"Not a word." Tenten said before she crossed her arms in thought. 'She was pretty keen on finding the guy, maybe he's her boyfriend?'

"Yeah, they've known each other for a long time and have been through a lot from what she's told me." Naruto added while nodding to himself. "Those two really seem to get along, even if he lost his memory."

Tenten sighed, she would ask Erza herself later. Naruto was obviously a lost cause in this topic. "Is everyone else here yet?"

"Hm? Oh, I wouldn't know. I just got here." Naruto said and started laughing.

Tenten just shook her head at the whiskered teen's carefree attitude and walked off to look for the others.

"Good morning Naruto-San, what are you doing?"

Naruto stopped laughing to himself and found Wendy looking up at him with an amused smile. "Hey Wendy-Chan, somehow I got stuck here welcoming people in I guess." He said and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, earning a giggle from the little girl. "Where's Carla, she's not with you?" Naruto asked and looked around, the snobby white feline being nowhere in sight.

"Charla said she didn't want to come today, she's still a little upset about the race." Wendy said with a slight frown. "I know that Carla can be a little... strict, but she means well! I'm sure you two can get along if you apologize…"

"What? No way!" Naruto crossed his arms and huffed, why would he apologize to that cat? She brought it upon herself!

"I know Naruto-San is a nice person! Please?" Wendy pleaded as she stared up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"Guh...!" Whatever defenses the blonde had, they came crumbling down at the sight of the little girl's pleading face." Well... I guess I can-"

"Who would want to get along with that beast!?" Carla said as she walked inside and made her way to Wendy's side.

'Nope, not gonna happen...' Naruto thought with a twitching eye as Wendy scolded the huffing cat.

"Naruto, you're here? What are you standing at the door for, we're all waiting for you!" Sakura called out from the bar.

"Oh, good morning Sakura-Chan. Everyone's already here?" Naruto greeted as the girl walked over to him, he saw that most of the Konoha ninja were standing at the bar with Lucy and Mirajane. "Where's bushy-brows and Hinata?"

"Hinata's in the infirmary, it's nothing too serious though." Sakura said and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to her? Did she faint again?" He asked, remembering all the times she had fainted when they worked together in the past.

"When Hinata tried using her Byakugan this morning, she said she saw something really bright. It was too much for her to handle so she passed out. Now she's resting in Fairy Tail's infirmary." Sakura explained. "Mira-San said that it was probably all of the magic in the air that she saw, what a weird place."

Naruto hummed and nodded his head, he'd have to go and check up on the girl later.

"As for Lee-San and Elfman, they both ended up catching a cold from sleeping outside. They're also resting in the guild's infirmary." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes. "They should be fine by tomorrow if they rest."

As soon as she finished her sentence, they heard shouts coming from the infirmary.

"A cold is not enough to put out the flames of... *Sniffle!* Youth! Right, Elfman-Kun!?" Lee shouted weakly as he and his buddy made it to the stairs that led to the bar hall.

"Of course! If you're a man... *Achoo!* Then you're a man!"

Sakura shook head tiredly. "What are you two doing out of bed? I thought I told you to stay put and rest!"

The boys either didn't hear her or chose not to listen and took a step onto the stairs, only to trip on their own feet due to their weakened state and stumble down the steps.

Sakura and Naruto rushed over to the two and laid them on their backs. "This is bad, they're running a fever now! Idiots, I told you to rest!"

"Ugh... I don't feel so good." Lee croaked out.

Wendy, having noticed what had happened, stopped arguing with Carla and ran over to the group. "U-um... Sakura-San, may take a look at them?"

Sakura was about to decline when Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "Naruto?"

Naruto just grinned at her before nodding to the little girl, who thanked him before she started examining the sick boys.

'What can this little girl do for them? She looks no older than twelve!' Sakura thought with a frown, seeing this as a waste of time. They should be getting the two back into the infirmary so she could treat them.

Wendy, now knowing what she was dealing with, started muttering something under her breath and began to glow. She placed her hands over Lee's chest and after a couple seconds, the teen's face began to relax.

"You… Healed him!" Sakura said in astonishment and Wendy nodded before doing the same for Elfman. 'Amazing... So this is magic?'

After finishing her job, Wendy wiped her forehead and smiled shyly. "I use Sky Dragon Slaying Magic, and I can heal people with it."

"Well now, that was quite impressive." Kakashi said as he and the others came over to see what the commotion was.

"Are they okay?" Lucy asked as she looked down at the two boys in concern.

"Yes, they should be fine after a good nap!" Wendy said cheerfully.

Sakura shook her head and moved to bring the two boys to the infirmary. "Well, we better get these two back to the-"

"...No, Sakura-San... I don't mind... washboards...' Lee suddenly mumbled in his sleep and Wendy innocently watched as everyone slowly started inching away from Sakura.

"...On second thought, I think they're fine here." Sakura said and stormed off in a fit.

* * *

"Okay, now that we're all here, I think it's time to discuss our plan." Kakashi said as he and the rest of the ninja stood around the bar, the only non-ninjas present being Makarov, Lucy, and Mirajane.

"I still can't believe such dangerous people are after you Naruto..." Mirajane said with a frown on her face.

Naruto sent the barmaid a reassuring smile before turning to his teachers eagerly. "What did you guys come up with?"

"Well last night, we decided it would probably be best to lay low for a while and wait for the Akatsuki to make a move." Yamato said and Naruto put a hand up.

"Wait a second, you guys all come here and you want to just wait? What about the people of this town? You know the kind of power the Akatsuki has, we have to find them before they do anything! I won't let the people here suffer because of me!"

The mages all smiled at how much Naruto cared for them and the town.

Makarov chuckled and shook his head. "I understand how you feel Naruto, but I'm going to have to agree with your teachers on this one. There isn't enough information that we can use to possible know or even guess where these Akatsuki folk are. But I think it is safe to assume that, if they are even here in the first place, that they will have as little info as we do. I doubt they would do something that would draw attention to them, like attacking a town."

Naruto was about to protest further when Lucy spoke up. "I know what you're going to say. You don't want to get us involved, do you?"

Gray placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Sorry pal, but we became involved the moment you joined this guild."

"Don't underestimate us mages."

Naruto turned around to see Erza and the rest of the guild all grinning at him. "You guys..." He said before shaking his head. "These people are really dangerous-" He protested but Natsu cut him off with a snort.

"You think we're gonna run away because they're dangerous? Don't make me laugh!"

"We're not a guild of cowards you know!"

"We're Fairy Tail damn it!"

Juvia clenched her fists in determination. "Now it's Juvia's turn to project Naruto-Sama!"

Lucy put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Their right, Naruto. Family sticks together, and we won't run away!" She yelled and everyone cheered.

Naruto wiped his nose and looked away, a smile sprawled across his face. "Fine... Do whatever you want, see if I care!" He said and everyone started laughing when Natsu jumped onto the teen's back.

Makarov bellowed with laughter. "Then it's settled! But for now, we wait!"

"Whoooooooaaa~!" Lee suddenly yelled and covered his now teary eyes. "I have been blinded by their white hot passion, the flames of youth burn brightly in everyone here! Gai-Sensei! I have been a fool, forgive me!"

Tenten sweatdropped. "What are you even apologizing for?"

Kakashi shook his head, the people here really were strange. Though he wasn't too surprised by their declaration, Makarov had told him about some of the things Naruto had done here. "With that settled, all we can really do now is chat and do research." He said as people started going back to what they were doing.

Yamato nodded and turned to Naruto. "That reminds me, I remember reading in your report that you've learned some new techniques during your time here."

Naruto, after having thrown Natsu across the room and onto a certain ice mage, turned to his teacher and nodded. "Yeah, I've learned how to sense and draw in magic."

"How did you learn how to do that?" Kakashi asked, impressed that the ninja had been able to achieve something like this on his own.

"When I first got here, I learned that magic is in the air like natural energy, and that I was unconsciously absorbing it when I went into Sage Mode." Naruto explained, and began drawing in the stuff. "All I had to do was learn how to blend the magic into the mix, and with Pa and Lucy's help, I got this." He said and opened his now crimson eyes, now in Sage Mode.

"I see..." Kakashi said, taking in the whiskered teen's new appearance. But why did it have Kyuubi-like characteristics?

"Why does it look like you're using the Kyuubi's chakra? Are you mixing the demon's power in it as well?" Yamato asked and Kakashi nodded, having wondered the same thing.

Naruto shook his head. "Old man Fukasaku couldn't really figure out why I look like this either."

"Hm, I'll have to learn a little bit about magic while we're here. It could prove useful in case we have to face an enemy mage in the future." Kakashi said.

"Actually, that brings up a good point. First of all, I'd like to tell you that this world is a lot more... peaceful than yours and that Fairy Tail has a strict no kill rule." Makarov said and asked Mirajane for a drink, which she happily complied. "While I'm not entirely sure as to how you shinobi do things in your world specifically, to which I hope you may be able to explain to me at some point. But I would appreciate it if you could keep any killing to a minimal, if not at all if possible."

"Of course, we are already under strict rules from the Hokage herself not to kill from the start." Kakashi said and Makarov nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"There is a library on the second floor of the guild, you may do your research and planning there."

"Wait, there's a library here?" Naruto asked and Lucy face-palmed.

Makarov chuckled before calling out to the crowd. "Levy-Chan! Could you come here for a moment?"

"Yes master, what do you need?" Levy asked as she walked over to them, Droy and a bandaged Jet following right behind her.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Naruto asked Jet, remembering the fall the guy had taken at the end of the race. It wasn't pretty.

The orange haired mage shrugged. "It looked a lot worse than it actually was, I only ended up with just a couple scrapes and bruises."

"I'm assuming you don't know how to read our language so I'm sending Levy-Chan with you to help you translate, if you don't mind Levy-Chan." Makarov said and the girl shook her head.

"We can help too." Jet and Droy both said and followed the group to the library, not wanting to leave the girl alone with strangers.

As the group started moving towards the library, Naruto turned to Lucy and Sakura. "Hey, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go check up on Hinata to see if she's doing alright."

"Okay, it looks like we're just gonna hang around the guild today. Since we're more than okay on rent money, we really won't need to go on any jobs for a while." Lucy said and Naruto nodded before heading off to the infirmary.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. How did Naruto end up staying in the same place as you in the first place?" Sakura said with a raised eyebrow, and Lucy couldn't help but gulp. If there was one thing she had learned about this girl so far, it was to avoid making her angry.

"Well, it's a funny story actually..."

* * *

Hinata sighed as she lay in one of the resting beds in the infirmary, which were actually quite comfy. But that wasn't the reason for her sigh. No, it was because she had to go and faint earlier that morning. She probably wouldn't get to see Naruto because of it.

Knowing the enthusiastic blond, he was probably going to go out to try and find the Akatsuki regardless of what Kakashi said.

Letting out another sigh, Hinata turned over on her side and stared at the door that led to the bar hall. The place had gotten quiet earlier before she could hear them cheering over something. She wondered if something happened.

To Hinata's surprise, the door opened and Naruto's head poked in.

"Hey, Hinata? Are you feeling alright?"

Hinata's eyes widened as her crush walked into the room. 'N-N-Naruto-Kun!?' No, no more fainting! She had to take advantage of this miracle of a coincidence! "Yes, I'm d-doing better." She said and began to sit up, only for Naruto to lay her back down.

"Hold on a second, Sakura-Chan said you needed to rest. You don't need to strain yourself." Naruto said and sat in one of the nearby chairs.

"O-okay..." Hinata stuttered as her face heated up from the boy's thoughtfulness.

"So, what exactly happened? You saw magic with your Byakugan?" Naruto asked and the Hyūga nodded.

"Yes, I thought I'd use my Byakugan to get a good look of the town. But when I did, I was blinded by a bright light and I passed out…"

Naruto nodded as the girl explained what had happened. "And Mira-Chan said it was probably magic..."

"Yes." Hinata said with a nod of her own. "When I first woke up, I had a really bad headache and couldn't see for a couple minutes. But I feel a lot better now." It had scared her, not being able to see for a couple minutes.

Naruto grinned. "That's good to hear, maybe I'll ask Wendy-Chan if she could check on you later. I mean, I'm not saying Sakura-Chan isn't a good medic. But Wendy-Chan's healing magic is something else!"

Hinata giggled at his enthusiasm. "U-um, can I ask you something Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sure, what's up?"

The timid girl poked at her fingers together as she stared up at the ceiling. "Is it true that you l-live in the same apartment as Lucy-San?" Upon seeing the blonde's confused look, Hinata stuttered. "I-I was just w-wondering..."

Laughing at the strange girl's actions, Naruto leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Lucy's been a real help to me here. She gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere to go, and taught me how to read and write in this world's language. Heck, she even helped me learn how to sense magic! It's kinda funny though, she's actually part of the reason why I'm here."

"Why's that?" Hinata asked, curious to know the real reason behind his disappearance. She knew it had something to do with a mysterious scroll, but hearing Lucy was a part of it was news.

Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll before he handed it to the girl. "Lucy had gotten this scroll from a magic shop, and it summoned me here. It's weird though… The shopkeeper didn't where it came from..."

Hinata frowned as she inspected the scroll. She opened it and was shocked to see the painting of the nine-tailed fox. 'This is the demon that's sealed inside of Naruto-Kun...' She thought and looked at the whiskered teen, who was looking at the picture intensely. "Have you shown this scroll to Kakashi-Sensei?"

"Yeah, I was gonna do that, but things just kept happening ya know?" Naruto said and scratched his cheek. "I'll show Kakashi-Sensei as soon as he's done looking around the library."

Having said that, Naruto took the scroll back from Hinata and got up to leave. "Well, I think I'll go and let you rest now. Get better soon, there's some places I wanna show you and the others that you just gotta see!"

Hinata smiled and waved goodbye. "That would be wonderful… Thank you Naruto-Kun."

Naruto gave her a thumbs up before closing the door as he left, he had to catch himself though when he almost walked right into a surprised Mirajane. "Whoa! Sorry Mira-Chan, what are you doing here?"

"I was just about to check on Hinata to see how she was doing." The barmaid said and smiled as she walked passed him. "May I ask what you were doing here Naruto? Excuse me for asking but a boy and a girl alone together in the same room spells trouble."

Naruto blushed and turned away from the now giggling girl. "I-I was just worried about my friend, ya know? That's all! Anyways, I gotta go. See ya!" He said and quickly took off, not wanting to fall victim to Mirajane's teasing any longer. He got enough of that from Cana as it was.

'He's so adorable...' Mira mused to herself before walking into the infirmary. 'I wonder how this side of the party will react...'

* * *

 **Some Time Later...**

"You want to go on your first job?" Naruto asked Wendy, who nodded vigorously.

"But haven't you already done a few jobs?" Lucy asked while thinking back to the few times she'd seen the girl pick out some jobs.

Wendy shook her head. "But all of those were just simple jobs, I want to hurry and do a big job so I can be of help to everyone!"

Naruto laughed at the girl's enthusiasm. "I understand why you want to go on big solo missions, but first you need to go on those types of missions with a group to gain experience and learn the value of teamwork."

"Wow, I'm impressed Naruto. That sounded very mature, it almost sounds out of place." Lucy teased and Naruto rolled his eyes.

Sakura laughed a little herself before turning to Wendy. "But he's right you know. We were just about your age when we became genin and started going on missions, and we didn't start going on harder missions until after we did a couple of those to strengthen our teamwork before our class became chunins. Although Naruto's the only one of us who hasn't become a chunin yet." The kunoichi explained and she and Lucy started laughing when Naruto began to sulk to himself, even Wendy struggled to keep herself from laughing at the face the boy was making.

"I guess you guys are right but... Mira-San already gave me this job request. She said I would be perfect for it and I'd feel bad to give it back." Wendy said and placed the request sheet on the table.

"Well, then I guess it can't be helped. I'll go with you!" Naruto said and grinned, relieved to hear the conversation was moving forward. "So what's the job we're going on?"

"Ah, let me read it!" Wendy said cheerfully and began to read from the piece of paper. "Thank you very much..."

'Wait, don't tell me...' Lucy thought to herself. After Wendy finished reading the request Lucy groaned, gaining odd looks from the others.

"What's wrong with you?" Naruto asked.

Lucy shook her head. "That's the same guy I did a job for with Erza and the others before, that guy's a real slave driver."

"I'm against this job Wendy, especially if that beast is coming along!" Carla said and glared at Naruto, who returned the glare while struggling to keep his mouth shut.

Seriously, did she want him to prank her again?

"Carla, how many times do I have to tell you that Naruto-San is a nice person! All of those rumors are fake!" Wendy said, gaining the attention of a certain brunette from across the hall.

"What rumors?" Naruto and Sakura both said at the same time.

"N-nothing! It's nothing! Don't worry about it!" Lucy said and frantically tried think of a way to quickly change the subject, growing all the more frantic when Sakura started staring at her suspiciously. "A-anyways, why are the two of you fighting? Aren't we all friends here?"

"You aren't ready to go on a job to a town you haven't been to before." Carla pressed on and Wendy pouted.

"I can too! I'm going to do this job with Naruto-San and you'll see!" Her response was a huff as the cat turned away.

"Fine then, but I'm not going with you."

Naruto shook his head, what was that cat's gripe with him anyway? " I guess we're off to... Where was it again? Ah, Onibus!" He stood up and the two were about to leave when Sakura called out to him.

"Hey, hold on a second. We all just got here, and you're gonna leave?" Sakura asked with a frown. This isn't how she imagined Naruto would act when they arrived at all. She thought he's be clinging to them trying to show them what this world had to offer, not leaving to go on a job for the guild with a little girl. Plus, it just wasn't safe with the Akatsuki potentially out there.

"Actually, that works out fine." Kakashi said as he walked down from the second floor.

Sakura frowned at her teacher's relaxed tone. "Kakashi-Sensei? What do mean "it works out fine"? The Akatsuki is out there and you say it's fine that Naruto goes out without any of us to back him up?"

"Naruto's been going out and doing these jobs for a while now, and I'm sure he can take care of himself. Isn't that right, Naruto?" Kakashi asked and Naruto grinned widely.

"Yup!"

The silver haired jonin eye-smiled and turned back to his other student. "See? Besides, we can take the time to learn a little more about this world while he's gone. There's a few things we found back at the library that you could all learn."

Albeit a little hesitant, Sakura sighed and finally nodded. "Alright, just be careful out there you two."

Naruto and Wendy both smiled at each other and were about to leave again when another voice stopped them, this time it was Makarov.

"Hold it Naruto. I'm glad to see you so determined to help Wendy-Chan on her first big job, but do you even know how to get to Onibus yourself?"

The whiskered teen scratched his cheek. "Uh... No, I guess I don't..."

Makarov sighed before looking around the guild. "Now, let's see here... Who knows how to get to Onibus?"

'I guess I better go along too, even if I'm a bit skeptical about doing another job from that guy...' Lucy thought and was about offer her help when someone beat her to the chase.

"I'll go, master." Cana said, surprising a few of them. "I have business up in Onibus anyways."

Makarov thought it over before nodding his head. "Very well, you may be off now." He said and waved them off nonchalantly. Satisfied with the outcome.

Naruto grinned and was about to leave for a third time when yet another voice stopped them.

"A moment, please."

Noticing a trend, Naruto groaned and turned around to see Freed. "Freed-Sensei?"

"Sensei?" Sakura asked and Lucy leaned over to the girl.

"Freed is teaching Naruto magic, so he's been calling him Sensei." She explained and Sakura nodded thankfully.

"We haven't been able to train since the race, but it couldn't be helped. So practice your runes whenever you get the chance during your job." Freed said and Naruto nodded his head.

"You got it! See ya guys later!"

Lucy watched as Naruto led the two girls out of the guild. With Naruto going out on a job, she wondered what she'd do now.

"Hey Lucy, wanna come with us to the library?" Sakura asked, noticing the girl looking a little lost. If Lucy came along with them, she'd be able to question the girl about the rumors Wendy had mention earlier.

"Naruto-Sama~! Juvia has returned with Naruto-Sama shaped treats~! Where are you, Naruto-Sama~?" Juvia called out, having just walked in the guild.

"Yeah sure, I'll go with you guys." Lucy said and laughed awkwardly when Juvia's attention fell onto her. The water mage was a little more than upset when she had found out what had happened at the end of the race, so the library sounded like a good place to be while Naruto was out.

* * *

"Thanks for helping us out Cana, but what kind of business do you have in Onibus?" Naruto asked as the trio made their way to the train station.

"I don't really have any business in Onibus, I just felt like going with you guys." Cana said with a shrug. "Besides, I couldn't let the big bad beast Naruto go alone with cute little Wendy-Chan, now could I?"

"Cana-San~!" Wendy whined childishly while Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what that cat has against me, but I'd never do anything to harm a girl. I'm too much of a gentleman."

Cana snorted. "You, a gentleman? Now that's a good laugh!"

"Hey, I resent that!" Naruto yelled at the laughing girl before crossing his arms. It seemed that every time he was around Cana, she'd tease him. She probably wanted to come along to get back at him for the race.

"Look, there's the train station!" Wendy said and ran ahead of the two towards the time boards. "Let's see... Oh no!"

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as he and Cana walked up to the board.

"The trains aren't going to Onibus today because of a break down!" Wendy said and pointed a note that was placed over the departure times to Onibus.

"Well that sucks..." Naruto said.

"How long would it take to walk?" Wendy asked Cana, who deadpanned.

"Eh~? You wanna walk there?"

"Yes!" Wendy said with a fierce look on her face. "This is my first big job, I'll do everything in my power to complete it!"

Naruto grinned and gave the little girl a thumbs up. "Well said Wendy-Chan! So, how long would it take?"

Cana sighed, maybe she shouldn't have offered to go with the two after all. Oh well, this would probably do good for her stamina that desperately needed polishing. The race had proven that much. "It'd be a long walk to Onibus from here, if we go now we'd probably get there by tomorrow afternoon."

Naruto nodded and looked back at Wendy. "So that's about a day's walk, you still wanna go?"

The little girl nodded eagerly. "Yes please!"

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everybody! First off, I'd like to thank my beta for helping me out with this chapter. Thanks redlox2! ^^**

 **To those who aren't very fond of the Konoha ninja showing up, just know that they aren't going to be there for the rest of the story. I just thought it would be fun to bring some of them in, especially Rock Lee. ^^**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. Hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **(P.S.) To the person who thought it seemed like I was going to make Erza and Tenten lesbians… That comment really made me laugh, so I thank you! XD**

 **But no, I'm not going to be making them a couple. :p**


	23. Anyone Up For A Bath?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/11/2017**

* * *

After coming to an agreement to walk to Onibus, Naruto, Wendy, and Cana were now making their way through a forest just north of Magnolia.

Naruto took in a deep breath before exhaling, a big grin on his face. "Ah, there's nothing better than being surrounded by giant trees." He said as he stood upside down on a branch, channeling chakra to his feet to stay attached. While they weren't as big as the trees back in Konoha, there was something about being in a forest that put him at ease.

Wendy laughed when the blonde unstuck himself and dropped to the ground so naturally. "You really like the forest, don't you Naruto-San?"

"Of course! The forest is a Leaf shinobi's sanctuary!" Naruto said and put his arms behind his head as they walked. "My home is surrounded by a massive forest, which is why it's called the village hidden in the leaves."

"You know, for as long as you've been here Naruto, you've never really talk that much about your home." Cana asked, curious as to what the ninja's village was like. All she knew about his home world was that the place was called the Elemental Nations and that there were five major villages, his being Konoha.

Naruto scratched his cheek, knowing that what Cana said was true. "Well, it's not like I didn't want to talk about it. No one really asked is all."

"What does your home village look like? How big is it?" Wendy asked excitedly, she had only just learned he was from another dimension and was also curious about his home.

Naruto laughed and nodded. Seeing as they were going to be walking for a while anyway, he might as well tell them a little about the village. "I guess I can tell you about Konoha. Now, where do I start..."

Naruto then began to describe some of his favorite sites and his other friends. He also talked about the Hokage monuments, the ninja academy, and even the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

Wendy had stars in her eyes from what Naruto had described. "Wow, Naruto-San's home sounds so pretty!"

"Hehe, you should see the place during the winter times. The whole village becomes white with snow!" Naruto exclaimed. "I wonder if I'll be able to bring you guys over and show you around in person?"

"Heh, this Tsunade person sounds like my kind of role model!" Cana snickered after hearing about the Fifth Hokage. "Huge jugs, loves to drink and gamble, and doesn't take crap from men!" The medic part was kinda meh, but maybe she'd learn some healing magic in case her liver ever decided to give out on her.

'Nah, that sounds like way too much of a hassle!' Cana thought dismissively.

Yeah, she'd just leave that for her future self to deal with.

Naruto chuckled to himself. "I figured, you two would definitely get along. I wonder if you'll ever be able to meet her. Though it's not like the old lady would be able to just come over here. Being the Hokage is a lot of responsibility."

They then continued to talk about the village and its people as they traveled, all the while laughing the whole time.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

"So chakra flows through your body through a system of nerve-like pathways? That's a lot different from us mages." Lucy said as she looked through one of the bookshelves in Fairy Tail's miniature library. She was currently looking for books that had basic information on Earthland, and had asked Sakura if she could give her a more detailed explanation about what chakra was.

Levy was helping Kakashi learn the basics of their written language, and in return he was teaching her theirs.

Since the two had been so keen on helping, Jet was helping Yamato learn the language while Droy helped Tenten. They were all seated at a table next to Levy and Kakashi.

Elfman and Lee were in another room, the giant having offered to help his "manly friend" learn. But because the two kept getting distracted, they ended up being kicked out by an angry pink haired kunoichi for being too loud and obnoxious.

"Oh really? Then where do mages get their magic from?" Sakura asked, rather curious about what magic was and how it all worked.

Lucy smiled, she was always happy to talk about all things magic. "Well for starters, we don't actually make our own magic. We naturally absorb Ethernano from the air around us, and then it's stored in a container in our bodies."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the information. "A container in your bodies? Do you have an actual organ that you store the Ethernano in?" She asked, trying to picture it all in a medical point of view.

"Er... I wouldn't really call it an organ..." Lucy said while tapping her chin in thought. "How to put it... Think of it like a fuel tank that is there but not physically, it's sorta just there."

"Like magic?" Sakura joked and the two laughed before the medic's expression turned a little more serious. "Hey, just out of curiosity. Is there anything going on between you and Naruto?"

Lucy blushed from the sudden question. "Eh!? W-why do you want to know?"

Sakura's face turned red as well when she realized how weird that must have sounded. "It's not like I like him or anything! But... He's always been there for me, ever since we were kids." She said before looking at the ground, remembering her teammate's promise to bring Sasuke back. "I'm just looking out for him is all." She was also looking out for Hinata, and wanted to support her friend in any way she could.

After a moment, Lucy smiled. "There's nothing going on between me and Naruto. Like I said yesterday, that kiss was an accident." She wasn't just going to say she was in love with Naruto. Lucy liked Sakura, but the girl was scary when angered! Kind of like Erza… Only Sakura seemed to get angry when Naruto was involved with any girl that wasn't from Konoha.

"Hey, Lu-Chan? Have you found any books with maps of the landscape?" Levy asked from across the room.

Was she blushing?

"Maps? Oh, yeah! I'll bring it right over Levy-Chan!" Lucy said and brought the book over to her friend, happy for a distraction from all the embarrassing talk.

"Thanks." Levy said with an awkward smile before she began to flip through the pages and placed it in front of Kakashi.

'She totally heard us...' Lucy thought and mentally cried to herself as Sakura walked over as well.

"This is a full map of Earthland, and here is where the kingdom of Fiore is." Levy explained while pointing things out from the book.

Kakashi hummed in acknowledgment as he scanned the map. "So Fiore is ruled by a king? Is this king in charge of all of the magical guilds, such as Fairy Tail and the others?"

Levy shook her head. "No. While the king is the head of the government here, it's the magic counsel who's in charge of governing all things magic. Only about ten percent of the world's population is able to use magic."

"Only ten percent? How does this country defend itself if so little people can use magic?" Yamato asked from the other table.

"Fiore is a neutral nation, there hasn't been a war here for quite some time. But should the time come, the country has an army of knights as well as any magic guilds willing to lend a hand to fight." Makarov said as he made his way into the room. "You kids have been at it for a couple hours now and it's going to be getting dark soon. How about we call it a day and continue tomorrow?"

Lucy glanced at a nearby clock and saw that it was half past six. "Have we really been here that long?"

Makarov nodded before turning to the two female mages present. "Lucy-Chan, Levy-Chan, why don't you show our guests to the guild's bathhouse? I'm sure they could all use a relaxing bath after all the hard work you've done today." He suggested and left the library, a sly smile on his face.

'Group bath!?' Jet and Droy both thought in unison.

Lucy beamed. She'd been thinking of a way to get the girls together and break the ice between the two groups, what would be better than going to the guild's bath house? "That's a great idea!" She said before turning to the other girls. "We should totally go! The guild's baths are amazing!"

Sakura and Tenten both nodded, a bath sounding like a good idea to them. While Mirajane and Erza both had nice baths at their places, nothing could beat a nice long soak in an onsen.

Lucy's smile brightened further before she turned to the last girl in the room. "Levy-Chan?"

"Sorry Lu-Chan, but I think I'm gonna stay a little longer. They might still need my help learning our written language." Levy said with an apologetic look on her face.

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "There's no need to worry about us, I'm sure we can manage if you go. I'm sure these two are more than willing to help us should we need it." He said as he gestured to the two male mages.

'I guess we weren't even invited to go in the first place...' Jet and Droy thought with anime tears streaming down their faces, but nodding nonetheless.

"Okay then, I guess you can count me in too!" Levy said and Lucy cheered as the girls left the library.

"Well then, shall we get back to work?" Kakashi said and Yamato nodded as the two remaining members of Team Shadow Gear moped to themselves.

* * *

"Where did this storm come from?" Naruto wondered aloud as he shook his jacket off in an attempt to dry it off.

"I'm sorry Naruto-San... If only I sensed it sooner." Wendy said with her head hung low.

"Ah, n-no don't worry about it so much Wendy-Can!" Naruto frantically said to try and cheer the little girl up. "After all, you did find this cave for us to cover ourselves."

One moment they were walking through the forest, talking about the Elemental Nations, and the next they were soaked to the bone in a cave in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"Yeah, it's not so bad." Cana said, her eyes glued onto the blonde's toned torso. His under armor was sticking to him like a second skin due to the rain, which left little to the imagination. "Not bad at all..."

"Well, it looks like we're gonna be here for a while." Naruto said as he watched the rain pour down from the sky, oblivious to the brunette's not so innocent stares. "What do you guys wanna do now?"

 ***Grumble!***

Wendy blushed and held onto her growling stomach, causing the other two present to laugh.

"Shall we eat then?" Naruto asked the flustered girl, who was now pouting from being laughed at.

"You wanna go out and find food in this weather?" Cana asked with a deadpanned expression. To her knowledge, none of them had packed any food for the trip.

Naruto snickered as he reached into his back pouch, and pulled out small scroll. The two girls watched in curiosity as he proceeded to open the scroll, and its content was none other than...

"Ramen, of course." Cana said in a deadpanned expression.

"Of course! I always keep some instant with me at all times for situations like this." Naruto stated proudly, and handed a cup to Wendy.

When he offered another to Cana, the woman shook her head. "No thanks, the only thing I need to replenish my energy is booze!" She claimed and brought out a rather large bottle of alcohol.

Where she had been keeping it on her person, the blonde would never know.

"You know, only drinking alcohol is bad for your health." Naruto said as he watched the alcoholic drink from the bottle.

Cana let out a satisfied sigh upon finishing her "meal" in one go, before she rolled her eyes at the boy's remark. "I don't wanna hear that from a person who eats nothing but ramen."

Wendy laughed at their interactions before a thought occurred to her. "Ah, how are we supposed to cook it?" She asked and Naruto raised a finger to answer the simple question, but stopped as his hand fell limp to his side.

"I forgot to pack a pot to boil water..." Damn, if only Juvia was here. Boiling some fresh water for the noodles would've been a piece of cake for the water mage.

* * *

Juvia sniffled as she walked into the woman's bathhouse, having decided to soak herself since she couldn't think of anything else to do. "Why did Naruto-Sama leave on a job without Juvia? Now all Juvia can do now is wait for Naruto-Sama's return..." She moped and opened the doors to the changing room to find Mirajane and Hinata. "Ah, Mira-San and Hinata-San?"

The two were wrapped in towels and looking like they were about to get into the washroom.

"Um, g-good evening Juvia-San." Hinata said and bowed her head politely before the Juvia's mood turned a complete three-sixty degrees.

The blue haired mage glared at the Hyūga in a challenging fashion, as if she were measuring if the girl was a potential threat. "...Rival in love?" Juvia mumbled as she studied the now fidgeting girl.

"Were you going to take a bath as well Juvia?" Mirajane asked as she grabbed the door to the bathroom, her smile ever so present.

As if a switch had been flipped, Juvia's mood turned back to cheerful. "Yes, Juvia is going to make herself squeaky clean for when Naruto-Sama returns!" She chirped as she began to undress, a weird look entering her face as she entered her world of fantasies.

Hinata's lips twitched downwards slightly, this was the other girl that she could tell was in love with Naruto. She had seen Juvia the day before when Naruto had introduced her to them, but this was Hinata's first time speaking with the girl.

As soon as Juvia was in her towel, the girls walked into the washroom.

Upon entering the room, Mirajane put a hand to her mouth and let out a short gasp. "Oh my, I didn't expect this many people to be using the bath."

They found Lucy, Levy, Sakura, Tenten, and Erza all sitting in the water.

Mirajane smiled when the girls noticed them. 'Well this is going to be interesting...'

"Oh, Hinata? Are you feeling better now?" Sakura asked.

"Y-yes, thank you." Hinata stuttered. She wasn't expecting there to be so many people. The bath was more than large enough to fit all of them, but it was still embarrassing…

"Rivals in love...?" Juvia muttered and hid behind Mirajane, sending suspicious looks to each of the other girls present. Ever since her conversation with Erza during the twenty-four-hour race, Juvia had a new-found suspicion towards the other girls besides the barmaid. Who knew which one of them was secretly in love with Naruto?

"Is she always like that?" Sakura asked Lucy, who shrugged.

Erza chuckled at the water mage's antics. "There's need to worry Juvia, no one is trying to steal Naruto from you."

The female mages looked at the red-head in disbelief.

'She's not serious, right?' Lucy thought as she stared at her friend in shock. It was almost common knowledge in the guild that she liked Naruto.

Could it be that Erza was maybe... dense to these types of things?

Juvia pointed an accusing finger at the knight. "Juvia knows Erza-San is her rival in love, just like Lucy!"

Tenten stifled a snort. 'Erza-San and Naruto? Yeah right...'

"W-wait a second, I already told you that I deeply respected Naruto and that was it!" Erza stuttered before turning to the celestial spirit mage. "And Lucy and Naruto are just good friends, right Lucy?"

'Erza-San...' Levy thought with a sweat-drop as the blonde in question continued to stare at the S-class mage with a deadpanned expression.

Sakura stood up and gave Juvia a hard look. "Hey, I don't know about Erza-San, but Lucy told me that there isn't anything going on between her and Naruto. Don't just go around accusing people like that."

Juvia returned the look as water gathered around her hands. "From the sound of things, Sakura-San is also Juvia's rival in love?"

"Who's a rival in love!?" Sakura bristled as a tick mark formed on her forehead, this girl was really starting to piss her off.

Lucy gulped as the two girls stared each other down, both looking like they were about to go for the other's throat. 'Somehow I knew these two weren't going to get along...' She thought before looking around the bath. 'Is it just me, or do all of my female friends except Levy-Chan seem to be Juvia's "rivals in love"? Although oddly enough Juvia doesn't think Mirajane is a rival. I still think Mira-San's teasing is more than what Juvia is think-'

Lucy cut herself short. 'Wait, what I am thinking!? Am I turning into Juvia!? Paranoid that every girl I met is trying to steal my Naruto? Wait "my" Naruto!? It's not like we're together or anything...'

Was she arguing with herself?

The others noticed Lucy shaking her head and started sending her odd looks.

'Oh no, everyone is staring at me! Please don't read my thoughts!'

Seeing how things were getting a little out of hand, Mirajane put a hand on Juvia's shoulder. "Now now, that's enough you two. Shall I wash your back Hinata?"

Juvia and Sakura gave each other one last look before turning away in a huff.

Lucy sighed in relief, for more reasons than one.

With the tension now gone, the girls soaked in the water for a few minutes in silence as the three newcomers washed themselves.

Sakura leaned towards Tenten and whispered into her ear. "Is it just me, or do almost all of the girls here have huge breasts?"

Tenten looked at all the other girls and nodded in agreement. "I noticed earlier too, maybe it's something in their water?"

They then both looked at Levy and sighed in relief, at least they weren't the only ones that didn't have a Tsunade sized chest.

Having noticed the two sigh, a tick mark formed on Levy's forehead. 'Somehow, I feel like I've just been insulted...'

Just as the newcomers entered the water, Lucy turned to Sakura and Tenten. "Hey, I remember you talking about the academy of ninjas you have back in the Elemental Nations. What did you guys learn about there?" She asked, curiosity clear in her eyes.

"Naruto didn't tell you anything?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lucy shook her head. "He said that you become a genin when you graduate, but that's really it."

Sakura sighed and began to explain what they learned in the ninja academy. How they how to read, write, and other core curriculum, as well as learning how to mold and use chakra for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu.

"The Hokage's office is also located on the second floor of the building, which is also where we are assigned missions." Sakura added before chuckling. "Back in our academy days, Naruto would always prank Lord Third whenever he got the chance."

Lucy laughed. "So he was always a prankster then?"

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "Don't even get me started... One time, he even drew graffiti all over the Hokage monuments. He also pranked Kakashi-Sensei for being late to our first meeting after we graduated to genin."

Mirajane giggled. "What a childish boy Naruto is."

Erza hummed, agreeing with her friend. "He is very childish, very much like our Natsu."

"Though knowing Naruto, he was probably at the top of his class right?" Levy asked and the other Fairy Tail members all nodded in agreement before they all turned to Sakura, who had a sad smile on her face.

"Actually, Naruto was dead-last in our class..." Sakura said and the mages all gasped in surprise.

"Seriously!?" Lucy just couldn't believe it, someone as strong as Naruto being the dead-last of his class? THE Naruto who defeated Phantom Lord's master Jose, Fairy Tail's S-class mage Laxus, AND a couple of the Oración Seis members including their master Zero by himself? That Naruto!?

The pinked haired girl nodded. "Yeah... I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."

"Why?" Erza plainly asked, knowing there was a bigger truth to this.

"He told you all about the demon fox spirit, right?" Sakura asked and when they all nodded, she continued. "Well, seventeen years ago the nine-tailed fox attacked our village. It was a great tragedy and many people died. Our Lord Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal the demon into a newborn baby."

"Naruto..." Lucy said sadly and Sakura nodded.

"The villagers hated the fox for what it had done, and with Naruto being the host of the demon..." Sakura started and the mages widened their eyes.

"You don't mean...?" Erza said and narrowed her eyes, dreading where this conversation was heading.

"Naruto was hated and ostracized by the entire village his whole childhood, all for something he had no control over..." Sakura said with a frown on her face, with Hinata and Tenten frowning as well.

Lucy gasped as tears formed in her eyes. 'Poor Naruto...! No wonder he had been so nervous to tell everyone in the guild about the demon fox…'

Mirajane put a hand to her mouth. Naruto was just like her. She was also hated by the people from her home town when she had unwillingly gained her demonic powers. No, he had it worse than her. At least she had Elfman and Lisanna and eventually Fairy Tail to support her. Naruto didn't have anyone. No friends, no family, he had nothing and it made her so sad.

Erza clenched her fists and stood up, surprising everyone. "How could people do that to a child!?"

"E-Erza-San, calm down!" Levy said and tried to calm the knight down, though she understood why Erza was so angry and felt so bad for what Naruto probably had to go through.

Their attention was then drawn to the other side of the bath where Juvia was sitting. Her hair was shadowing her face as the water around her bubbled furiously. "Unforgivable..." She muttered, the water now beginning to evaporate into the air around her.

Luckily Mirajane, who was previously sitting next to the girl, had moved closer to the ninja so that she could hear the story better. Otherwise she would have likely been burned from the scalding hot water.

"Juvia will make those villagers pay for hurting Naruto-Sama!" Juvia declared angrily, the room was now like a sauna from all of steam she was giving off.

But before the girls had a chance to try and calm the girl down, Lucy spoke in a small voice that stopped everyone in the room.

"Things got better for him, right?" She asked Sakura with a flash of hope in her eyes.

"Our Lord Third Hokage, in an attempt to lessen the hatred, made it a law that no one was allowed to speak about the Kyuubi. But it didn't do much since the people from the incident just told their children to stay away from "that dangerous kid"."

Lucy seemed to fold into herself. "No way..."

"But that didn't stop Naruto-Kun from trying his hardest." Hinata said and Sakura looked at the girl in surprise, it wasn't like the girl to suddenly speak up like that.

"Hinata..."

The Hyūga looked at Lucy and smiled. "Even when the villagers hated him, Naruto-Kun always tried his best. He claimed that he would become the Hokage and prove himself to the village, all with a smile on his face…"

"Why would he go so far?" Levy asked, confused as to why Naruto would go so far for people who treated him so badly.

"Because that's just how he is. Naruto-Kun wanted to make everyone acknowledge him… and he never goes back on his word. It's his ninja way." Hinata said while closing her eyes. 'And mine as well...'

Sakura chuckled softly. "It's pretty ironic actually, the very person they had hated and despised became their savior. Not a single person had died when the leader of the Akatsuki attacked Konoha, despite the destruction of the entire village."

Juvia began to ball her eyes out, causing the bath to over fill many times over. "Juvia has fallen for Naruto-Sama all over again~!"

"There there..." Mirajane said as she pat the girl's head, and Juvia proceeded to cry into her chest. It seemed that Naruto wasn't a stranger when it came to putting on masks, and not the kind you could buy in stores. This perplexed Mirajane. Where did Naruto find the strength to smile, despite being all alone. 'If I didn't have my siblings… Who knows what path I would have gone?'

Lucy frowned to herself, having thought she had gotten pretty close to Naruto during their time together. But she was wrong, it seemed there was a lot more to Naruto than the goofy ninja he put himself out to be. It made her want to spend even more time with him and figure it out.

"I have one question." Erza said and gave each of the three kunoichi hard looks. "How did all of you think of Naruto back then?" It was a bold question, but Naruto was known for being a little too trustworthy for his own good and she felt she needed to know.

They looked taken aback from the sudden question, but it was understandable. Considering the fact that everyone in the guild treated Naruto like he was family, it was only be natural for them to want to know something like that.

Mirajane frowned at Erza for asking such a sensitive question, but kept quiet since she also curious.

Tenten thought about it for a second before shrugging. "I met Naruto during our first chunin exams. Back then, I thought he was just a loud-mouthed goof that was probably going to get himself killed. But after he defeated my teammate Neji in the tournament, Hinata's cousin and prodigy their clan, he changed him and in turn gained my respect."

"I used to think Naruto was nothing more than an annoyance. Heck, I even hated being on the same team at first. But as time went on and adventure after adventure, he slowly became one of my best friends. Naruto became so strong and was always protecting me, that it made me feel so useless." Sakura said and then looked around. "Naruto has a sort of magnetic personality, that it's hard not to smile around him. But all of you already know this, don't you?"

The Fairy Tail mages all smiled at the last part, knowing that what the girl had said was true. Every day was a fun and lively one with Naruto around, and Fairy Tail was a guild that had multiple bar fights on a daily basis.

Hinata frowned. Although she had always supported Naruto from a distance back then, it had always been just that, at a distance. And it wasn't like she could just come out and say that she had always believed in Naruto and that she loved him.

Noticing Hinata's troubled state, Lucy stood up and stretched. "Mmm, that was a great bath! I think I'm gonna get out now."

Erza hummed, seemingly satisfied with the answers and got up to leave with Lucy, though not before giving Hinata one last look. It wasn't an angry look, rather a curious one. She wanted to know what had been going through the Hyūga's mind just then, but even she knew that what they had talked about already was more than enough for one day.

One by one, the rest all got up to leave. But unknown to the girls as they left, two guys on the men's side of the bath were balling their eyes out.

"Naruto is... *Sniff!* Truly a man among men!" Elfman sniffled, having heard the girl's entire conversation.

Lee nodded, manly tears streaming down his face as well. "Naruto-Kun's flames of youth can rival anyone!"

They both then stood up and cheered for their blonde comrade. "Youthful man!"

* * *

"Achoo!"

"Are you okay Naruto-San?" Wendy asked worriedly. "You've been sneezing a lot for a while now."

Naruto wiped his nose irritably and leaned back onto the cave wall, did he catch a cold? Yeah right, he never got sick. "Heh, people were probably just talking about how awesome I am!"

"You've been sneezing for almost an hour straight." Cana said with a deadpanned expression. She was laying on her side near the fire they had somehow managed to create.

The rain had long since stopped, but it was getting dark so they had decided to camp out in the cave for the night.

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Well, maybe a lot of people were talking about me then? I did win the twenty-four-hour race ya know?"

Cana grinned slyly. "If I remember correctly you tied for first with Lucy, before sharing a victory kiss."

"O-oi! I already told you that was an accident!" Naruto sputtered before crossing his arms in a fit. "Jeez... Why do people gotta keep bringing that up?"

"Come on, I'm sure you enjoyed it." Cana further teased.

Naruto thought back to the accident and blushed, remembering the look on Lucy's face as she stared straight into his eyes. Her lips were so soft-

"Wait a minute!" Naruto shouted, the memory of the incident fading away. "What the heck are you making me think!?"

Cana laughed at the flustered Uzumaki, he was such an easy target.

'Poor Naruto-San...' Wendy thought with a blush of her own, even she saw that the blonde made it easy for others to tease him. She then blinked. "Oh, I was wondering Naruto-San. How come you're in um... Sage Mode?" She asked, having noticed that the ninja was indeed in Sage Mode. He'd been so ever since they had eaten their "dinner".

Naruto looked at the little girl and grinned, all too happy for the change in subjects. "I'm training to keep the magic I absorb stored in my body. Since I can only use magic while in Sage Mode, I have to practice like this." He explained as Wendy listened to him intently. "Freed-Sensei thinks that if I practice it enough, I'll learn to be able to absorb and use magic even if I'm not in Sage Mode."

Wendy nodded before gaining a puzzled look. "Why do you have to absorb the magic yourself? Is it because you're from another world?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I don't have that... magic container that you guys have. I've been getting a lot better at sensing magic and I'm starting to be able to sense you guys while not in Sage Mode, though I don't know if it's because I'm around you guys all of the time."

Cana groaned, growing bored of their current conversation. "Enough with all this boring chit-chat about training and stuff, let's talk about something fun!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Like?"

"Like..." Cana tapped her chin in thought before an idea popped in her head. "Like your ninja pals! Was one of them your girlfriend? That Sakura girl seemed awfully nosy about what you had been doing here, even if she denied it when I asked her."

Wendy blushed, she wasn't very experienced when it came to conversations like this. So she decided to keep quiet and listen.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Sakura-Chan? No, she's not my girlfriend. We were on the same genin team when we graduated from the academy, so she was probably just worried about me." He said before laughing. "Back then, she would always reject me every time I asked her out to get ramen. But that was a long time ago."

"Oh." Well that was a bit of a letdown, she wasn't expecting a response as mature as that. "Well what about the girl with pale eyes. Hinata... Was it?" Cana asked. She remembered seeing the girl glancing at Naruto whenever she had gotten the chance, that had to mean something. Right?

Naruto stopped laughing and closed his eyes. "Hm... Hinata's kinda weird and quiet, but she's really friendly to everyone, like Juvia. But no, she's just a friend too."

Cana shook her head, deciding that she wouldn't be able to get the kind of information she was looking for from Naruto himself. As fun as he was, Naruto was one dense ninja. But that didn't mean she was done. "Just out of curiosity, was it your first kiss?"

"T-that again?" Naruto stuttered while turning red for a second time. "Y-yeah, it was..." Technically, he was lying. But they didn't need to know about his kiss with his "best friend".

"Oh~? Is that so?" Cana said slowly, her eyes fixated on the nervous teen.

"Y-yeah." Naruto said and closed his eyes, deciding to get back to practicing. But something caught onto his senses, it was the same feeling he had when that mysterious man had appeared.

"Hey, where are you going?" Cana asked when Naruto suddenly got up and started walking out of the cave.

"I'm gonna take a leak, I'll be right back."

Cana raised an eyebrow and looked over to Wendy to find the girl asleep, she must have fallen asleep sometime during the conversation. "Well, might as well go to sleep as well. We still have a bit of walking to do tomorrow…"

* * *

After walking a fair distance from the cave, Naruto stood in the middle of a clearing and spoke out. "I know you're here, come out!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the mysterious man came into view. "Impressive, I wasn't expecting you to be able to sense my presence so soon."

Naruto studied the person in front of him, he still wasn't sure whether this man was friend or foe. "I wasn't sensing you, I can't do that for some reason. I sensed your sword, what is that thing?"

The armor-clad man began to unsheathe the weapon in question, causing Naruto to tense defensively.

'W-what is this...!?' Naruto thought and jumped back when a wave of killer intent washed over his senses. But it wasn't coming from the person in front of him, but the sword itself. The sheer amount of blood-thirst coming from the blade made Naruto sick to his stomach.

"The Barbaric Dragon sword." The man said before sheathing his sword again, and all the killer intent vanished. "An ancient sword said to have slain one-hundred slain dragons."

"Dragons?"

"Yes, but that is not important right now. As I told you, we have much to discuss."

Naruto frowned. "Then you can start by telling me who the heck you are and where you came from."

The man nodded. "My name is Gale Uzumaki, and as you have probably guessed, I am from the Elemental Nations just as you are."

It was just as Naruto had thought, but there was one thing that he didn't understand. "If you're from the Elemental Nations, then why can't I sense your chakra?" Every living thing in the Elemental Nations had chakra, no matter how small the amount was. The fact that he couldn't sense any in the man in front of him made his story rather skeptical.

"During the Second Great Ninja War, I lost the ability to use my chakra. But that is a story for another day, I apologize but we are pressed for time." Gale explained while looking around, as if he was expecting someone to jump out at them from the forest.

"Okay... Go ahead then, I'm all ears." Naruto said and leaned against a nearby tree. Even though he didn't really buy what this person was saying all that much, he would at least hear him out.

"Right. After I found a way to get to this land, I did as much research on that scroll that summoned you here as I could." Gale explained, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly.

"Wait, so you know about the scroll too? Just how much do you know about me?" Naruto asked, he was starting feel a little creeped out.

"As I've said before, I have been watching you from the shadows for a very long time."

Naruto growled in frustration. "But why!? Why have you been watching me?"

Gale retained his neutral expression. "I was assigned to watch over you by Lord Third Hokage."

The old geezer? "If you were watching over me this whole time, then where were you when I was in all of those life-threatening situations?"

Gale shook his head. "I was assigned to watch you, not coddle you. Tell me, would you be the same person you are now had I stepped in and helped you all those times?"

Naruto thought back to his most important battles. His fight with Haku, Garra, Sasuke, Pain. "No... I guess I wouldn't."

Seeing as the blonde wasn't going to say anything more, Gale continued. "All of my research led me to the same conclusion. The Black Mage Zeref."

Naruto widened his eyes, that was the person Makarov was talking about. That ancient, evil mage who was responsible for making Lullaby and Deliora.

"Zeref is a man who was said to be the most powerful and evil mage of all time, and he was the one who made that scroll. For what purpose, I do not know."

"How did you find all of this out? You didn't even have the scroll..." Naruto trailed off, wondering how the man could find all of this information without the scroll in question.

"But I did. I am the one who researched into it for Makarov-Dono." Gale said, taking the teen by surprise.

"Wait, you know the old man? Why didn't he tell me about you then?" Naruto asked, not believing that the master of Fairy Tail kept something like this from him. If Gale was telling the truth, and he really was from the Elemental Nations, this was huge for Naruto. Keeping something from him like this from him was a little…

Gale closed his eyes. "Do not be angry with Makarov-Dono, I told him not to tell you about me. I didn't want to give you false hopes."

Naruto sighed, this was a lot to take in just one night. "So, is that all you wanted to tell me?"

"No, one more thing before I go. After having used a good portion of the Kyuubi's chakra, you have gained the attention to quite a few organizations." Gale said and turned around, likely to leave. "The one group you should be most wary of is the dark guild named Tartaros. I will contact you again as soon as I have more information. Until then, take care." And with that, Gale disappeared into the forest.

Well this was just his luck. Not only was he being hunted by the Akatsuki, but now the dark guilds of this world were interested in him.

After walking back to the cave, Naruto noticed Wendy and Cana were both sound asleep. Chuckling to himself, he sat down in a meditative position and continued his training, figuring he could train a little before he went to sleep. Not that he'd be able to get much sleep anyway.

Not after his conversation with Gale.

* * *

 **A/N: Boy, this was chapter difficult for me to write for some reason...**

 **But I hope you all like it in the end!**

 **Next chapter we're gonna see Gildarts and the beginning of the Edolas Arc!**

 **As always, be sure to review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	24. The Guild's Strongest Member?

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/11/2017**

* * *

 **Fairy Tail...**

Naruto kicked the front doors to the guild open and was about to announce their return when he was suddenly tackled by a sobbing girl.

"Naruto-Sama~!"

"Wha-Juvia!? Why are you crying? Did something happen?" Naruto asked as the girl buried her face into his jacket.

Juvia's response was a series of muffled sounds as she spoke into his clothes.

"After all that walking, I really need a drink... Catch you guys later." Cana said and walked off towards the bar, laughing at the two as she passed them. 'We only just get back too, that guy really is a riot.'

Naruto blushed when he noticed the strange looks they were attracting, his conversations with Cana coming to mind. He grabbed a hold of Juvia's shoulders and pried the girl from his torso. "I can't hear you if you just talk into my clothes. Now what happened, is everything alright?"

Juvia sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Juvia will always believe in Naruto-Sama!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Oh… thanks?"

Where did that come from?

"Guys, Naruto's back!"

"Now it can be peaceful again!"

Naruto looked around in shock as guild members started cheering and waving to him, some people were even jumping for joy. "W-what is going on!?"

"Welcome back you guys!" Mirajane said as she walked through the crowd and up to the group. "How did the job go, well I hope?"

Wendy sighed. "Not really. The train to Onibus wasn't working so we ended up walking. But by the time we finally got there, the client had already made up with his employees so he was fine and didn't need a healer anymore."

"Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that." Mirajane said before gesturing towards the bar. "You must all be tired from walking so far. Come have a seat, I'll get you all something to eat."

"Thanks Mira-Chan!" Naruto said happily and followed the barmaid, with Juvia following close behind.

As Naruto walked towards the bar, people waved and cheered for him. He wondered why everyone was so happy to see him, not that he minded. Did something happen? 'Oh well, I'll just ask later! I'm too hungry to care right now!'

* * *

"That really was too bad Wendy, and it was your first big job too." Naruto said as he chowed down on his meal.

Wendy shook her head and smiled. "It's not so bad, I was able to learn a lot about Naruto-San!"

Naruto laughed and rubbed the little girl's head playfully, earning a pout from the other girl seated next to him.

"Juvia wants to learn more about Naruto-Sama as well!"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

Juvia blushed as a dangerous grin sprawled across her face. "How many children does Naruto-Sama wan-Gak!" She was cut off when Sakura seemingly appeared out of nowhere and delivered a swift chop to her head.

"That's enough out of you." Sakura said and shook her head. Seriously, what was wrong with this girl?

Naruto was about to ask if Juvia was alright when the girl jumped back up and hid behind him.

"Naruto-Sama! Ever since Naruto-Sama left, Sakura-San has been so mean to Juvia!"

"What!?" Sakura shouted from being accused.

"Sakura-Chan? How could you be mean to Juvia, she's so nice!" Naruto said as he looked at his old friend, a hint of disappointment on his tone.

Juvia smirked victoriously and put up two fingers in a mock peace sign when the blonde wasn't looking.

The tick-mark on Sakura's forehead grew and her face reddened with anger. 'T-this bitch!'

'Oh crap, Sakura-Chan's pissed for some reason!' Naruto frantically thought of a way to calm the girl down.

'S-Sakura-San is kind of scary...!' Wendy thought as she unconsciously hid behind Naruto as well.

"Sakura-San, where'd you go?" Lucy called out from the other side of the bar, and upon noticing Juvia hiding behind Naruto with a gloating face, and the angered state Sakura was in, Lucy quickly deducted what was going on and rushed over to the group. "Hey guys, when did you get back?" She quickly asked and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, temporarily distracting the girl.

'Nice save Lucy!' Naruto thought and waved to his fellow blond. "Hey Lucy, we just got back! What have you guys been up to?"

"Nothing much, though Sakura-San and the others have been settling in fairly well. Right, Sakura-San?" Lucy said and sent Sakura an almost pleading look. 'Please Sakura-San... Not another fight.'

Sakura let out a heavy sigh, but finally calmed down and nodded. "Hinata, Tenten-San and I have all gotten rooms in Fairy Hills." The guild master had been generous enough to not even charge them.

Naruto nodded while sighing internally. Why was Sakura so angry in the first place?

"We've also learned quite a bit of this world, like the basics to the written language. It turns out both written languages are pretty similar." Sakura added before pointing at Juvia accusingly. "But anyways, why are you being so clingy to Naruto? Have you no shame?"

"Aw, are you jealous Sakura-Chan?" Naruto said before clamping his mouth shut when Sakura sent him a galre.

Juvia grabbed onto Naruto's arm in defiance and pouted, causing the blonde's face to heat up. "No! Juvia is free to do what Juvia wants! And what Juvia wants is to be with Naruto-Sama because Juvia missed Naruto-Sama soooo much!"

"Hehe, you really are a friendly person Juvia!" Naruto said and pat Juvia on the head, causing the girl to purr happily.

The others sweatdropped. 'This guy...'

"Oh yeah that's right, do you guys know where Kakashi-Sensei is? There's something I gotta to ask him." Naruto asked, deciding that it was time to ask his teacher if he knew anything about Gale.

"He's in the library with the master." Lucy answered before gesturing towards Sakura. "Sakura-San and I were just there too, but then she suddenly disappeared."

"Ah, sorry about that..." Sakura apologized, realizing that she had left without saying anything. But it couldn't be helped. Someone had to keep that overly attached girl in check.

"Okay, thanks Lucy. I'll see you guys later." Naruto said and detached himself from Juvia before walking towards the library.

He wondered if Kakashi knew anything about the mysterious man. From what Jiraiya had told him about the Uzumaki clan, there weren't that many members left alive in the Elemental Nations.

As Naruto walked into the guild library, he found that Kakashi and Makarov were indeed there. They were sitting at one of the small tables and had a couple books laid out in front of them.

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei, hey old man." Naruto greeted and took a seat at the table.

Makarov sent him a flat stare. "Why aren't you more like your friends? Compared to you, they actually respect their elders."

Naruto laughed and waved him off. "Sorry gramps, force of habit."

'Well this sure brings back memories...' Kakashi mused to himself as the teen laughed at the now glaring Makarov. The way Naruto acted around Makarov reminded Kakashi of how the kid used to be around the third Hokage.

"Hey, where's the others? I already saw Sakura-Chan, but what about everyone else?"

Kakashi tapped his chin in thought, recalling the whereabouts of all the other ninjas. "Let's see... Hinata had something to do and is back at Fairy Hills, and last I saw Lee, he was about to go training with Elfman."

"Erza took your friend Tenten with her to go visit her favorite blacksmith yesterday. They should be back later today." Makarov added.

For being on an inter-dimensional mission, they were all pretty lax right now. Not that it was a bad thing, at least Kakashi thought so.

"What about Yamato-Taicho?" Naruto asked while looking around the room. He'd been expecting to find his other teacher here with Kakashi, but the man was nowhere to be found.

"Ah, he's resting in the infirmary right now." Kakashi answered and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Did something happen?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, not really. He's just tired from overusing his wood-style techniques."

"There's been a couple of... fights and-" Makarov suddenly began to sob. "Your teacher fixed all of the damages!" Though he said that, Yamato had been the one to jump into the middle of the fight and stop the two responsible for all the damage. The unfortunate man had taken a blow from each of the combatants.

Naruto nodded. It must have been some fight if it left Yamato tuckered out from fixing everything. "I bet you're glad you're glad Yamato-Taicho was there to fix everything, huh gramps? Otherwise you'd be balling your eyes out!" He said with and started laughing all over again.

Makarov sighed. "Did you need something? Or are you just here to pick on an old man?"

Naruto calmed his laughter and seemed to think his words over. "Yeah, I did actually. I ran into this guy who called himself Gale Uzumaki."

Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly, but only for a second as his expression quickly reverted to his usual lazy demeanor.

"I see... So you finally met him?" Makarov said and lowered his head. "I'm sorry for not telling you, he was very keen on keeping his existence here a secret. Till now at least."

"Yeah but don't worry, I'm not mad or anything. I just wanted to know if could trust him." Naruto said with a grin before turning to his teacher. "So, is it true Kakashi-Sensei? Is Gale Uzumaki a shinobi of Konoha?"

Kakashi leaned back into his chair and folded his arms. "Gale Uzumaki, huh? Haven't heard that name in a long time. He's indeed a leaf shinobi. But whether or not he can be trusted, is entirely up to you." To tell the truth, Kakashi knew close to nothing about the man. He had seen him on occasion during his time as an Anbu Black Ops under the third Hokage, but that was it. The only thing Hiruzen had told him was that Gale was an Uzumaki and that he was, just like Kakashi, was working under the direct command of the Hokage. But after the Sandaime passed away, he didn't know what had happened to Gale.

Naruto nodded. He was hoping for a little more info than that, but guessed it couldn't be helped if they didn't know anything about the guy.

"Did Gale tell you anything else?" Makarov asked since there was probably more. Gale had to have known that he already told Naruto that the scroll was made by Zeref, so why would he make himself known now just to tell him that? It just didn't make any sense.

Naruto chuckled and scratched his cheek awkwardly, he knew the old man wasn't going to like this.

'Oh boy, here it comes...' Kakashi thought, knowing all too well what that look meant.

"He said that I've caught the attention of some of the dark guilds..."

Makarov's face paled. "Which ones?"

Naruto folded his arms in thought. "I think I remember him saying one was called Tartaros?"

Makarov nearly fell off the table. Tartaros!? Of all the dark guilds out there, it had to be one of the big three!? Granted the Oración Seis were already defeated, and Naruto had taken down three of them himself. But this was Tartaros they were talking about!

Kakashi sighed. By the way Makarov was reacting, it seemed Tartaros was a big deal. 'I have a feeling things are going to get rather troublesome...' Maybe he'd switch out with Neji or Might Guy…

Naruto sweatdropped at the reaction. "Is Tartaros really that strong? Well I guess I better get back to training then..."

Just as he said that, Natsu, along with Lee and Elfman, came running into the room.

"Jii-Chan! Mira told us to tell you that we're going out to train!" Natsu said before noticing Naruto. "Oho! Naruto's back! Come with us!"

Rock Lee punched the air a couple times. "If Naruto-Kun joins as well, we can do a team sparing match!"

"Teamwork makes you a man!"

Naruto blinked before getting out of his chair and nodding. "Sure, I'll join!"

They all cheered and ran out of the guild, leaving the two grown men to themselves again.

"Are you okay Makarov-Dono?" Kakashi asked.

Makarov sighed and shook his head. "I need a drink..."

"Sorry..."

* * *

As soon as they were at the training field, Natsu ran forward and turned around excitedly.

"So what are the teams going to be?"

"I guess we're going straight to sparing then?" Naruto said before starting his usual stretching. Not that he didn't mind fighting right away, it had been awhile since he had a good spar with anyone.

"Of course! So come on, let's fight already!" Natsu shouted impatiently, he clearly wanted to fight.

Lee began to stretch as well. "I admire how eager you are to begin training, Natsu-Kun. But first we must prepare for our workout."

Natsu grumbled to himself but started warming up regardless.

"Hey, where's Happy?" Naruto asked. It was odd seeing Natsu without the little blue cat, since the two were seemingly always together.

"He's probably off trying to find Carla." Natsu replied nonchalantly.

"He's in love, like a man!" Elfman added.

Naruto hummed in acknowledgment. Now that he thought about, he hadn't seen the snobby cat at the guild. Was she still angry?

"Alright! We're all ready now! Let's fight!" Natsu yelled as his fists caught on fire.

"So what are the teams going to be then?"

Elfman wrapped an arm around Natsu's shoulder. "Let's do mages versus ninja!"

Naruto looked over to his fellow ninja and grinned. "Alright, let's do this bushy-brows!"

Lee visibly shook with excitement. "Yosh! This will this be a most youthful battle!" A two versus two match, ninjas versus mages, Earth versus Earthland. To Rock Lee, this was a match was the epitome of youthful match-ups.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu said and punched his fist, fire once again igniting on the spot.

"It will be a battle among men!" Elfman agreed and transformed his arm with his magic.

The two teams then split up onto opposite sides of the field.

"Let's try not be too destructive, we don't want to give the old man a heart attack if we destroy this place!" Naruto shouted from his side of the field.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Like when you made that giant crater with your Sage Mode? Whatever, let's fight now!"

Lee raised an eyebrow at that. "Have you gotten stronger, Naruto-Kun? If so, I would like to challenge you to a one-on-one battle later so that I may see for myself!"

Naruto looked at Lee in surprise but nodded. He needed to train, and what better way to work on his taijutsu than to spar someone who specialized in it? "Sure, I'm down."

The spandex wearing teen pumped a fist. "Yosh! Now then, let us fight! Ninjas versus mages!"

And with that, they fought.

* * *

 **Later That Day...**

"What happened you guys?" Lucy asked as she looked at a pair of bruised boys that were Natsu and Elfman.

"That guy with the big eyebrows hits harder than I thought..." Natsu mumbled while rubbing his bandaged arms. He had made the mistake to try and block a direct hit from Lee's Leaf Hurricane kicks, multiple times. "But I'm gonna beat that guy next time for sure!"

"Lee-San kicks like a man!" Elfman boasted proudly before wincing, he too had bandages covering his arms. Even with hit Beast Takeover Magic, both ninjas were able to bruise him hard.

"Natsu and Elfman fought against Naruto and Lee." Happy explained to Lucy. "It was a completely one sided match."

Lucy looked at the bandaged boys with wide eyes. Was Lee actually really strong? Though if Naruto's friends were anything like him, of course they would be. She wondered how powerful the others were.

"I will gladly accept a rematch, Natsu-Kun!" Lee declared while walking up to their table with Naruto. "But it will have to wait until after Naruto-Kun and I have a match of our own!"

"Hey Lucy." Naruto greeted causally and sat down next to Natsu.

"Hey."

Naruto noticed that Lucy had a look that almost seemed sad. "You okay?"

Lucy must not have known she was making such a face because she blinked as if she had been lost in thought.

"Oh, yeah! I'm fine! Totally fine!" Lucy said and took a seat for herself. Ever since she heard about Naruto's past, she had been feeling guilty. Not once did she think that a happy guy like Naruto would have grown up the way he had. It just made her feel bad knowing that it was her fault that he couldn't be with the people that had come to care for him.

Naruto frowned. Lucy had been acting like this a lot recently, and regardless of what she said, he knew Lucy well enough now to know that there really was something bothering her. He was stupid, but he knew a mask when he saw one.

But before Naruto could question the girl, Erza had walked over to their table and grabbed onto his shoulder. It seemed the knight had returned.

"Naruto, could I borrow you for a moment?"

"Erza? What's up?" Naruto asked and stood up. It was just one thing after another today, wasn't it?

"Never mind that, just come with me." Erza said and onto his arm.

"O-oi!"

The others watched as Naruto was dragged off by Erza.

"What was that about?" Elfman asked.

Natsu shrugged. "Maybe he pissed her off again?"

Lee was weeping manly tears. "Naruto-Kun is so popular here! The flames of youth burn brighter than ever!" He said before suddenly standing up from his seat. "Yosh! I feel re-energized! I must begin training if I want to be able to keep up!"

Natsu and Elfman must have been inspired by Rock Lee's little speech, for they too stood up and cheered.

"Youthful men!" They cried out in unison before running outside of the guild to most likely train.

Lucy sweatdropped. Elfman she could understand, but Natsu?

Shaking her head, Lucy turned to Happy. "Could you make sure they don't overdo anything or hurt themselves?"

"Aye!" Happy said and flew off.

She raised an eyebrow when he suddenly stopped and looked back, he had his paws covering his mouth to stifle his laughter.

"Looks like Lucy has more competiti-"

"Shut up!" Lucy screamed and threw her shoe at the now laughing cat, then sat back down in a huff. 'Stupid cat. My only competition is Juvia... Right?'

* * *

Naruto found himself in the guild's library again, although it was now empty. Kakashi and Makarov must have gone somewhere else. "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked and leaned onto one of the tables.

Erza closed the door. "The master told me about the dark guilds, and that they were interested in you."

"Oh, that?" Naruto said and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... I guess they're interested in the Kyuubi's power."

Erza turned around and frowned. "This is a serious matter Naruto. You should take this a little more seriously."

Naruto straightened himself when he heard the girl's tone. "You're right, sorry..."

"It's fine. Just remember that you have the whole guild's support." That went without saying, and Erza knew that Naruto was aware of that. Erza just wanted to make sure that he didn't try and do things by himself. She already made that mistake.

Naruto nodded and the two grew silent.

Naruto was waiting for the girl to continue what she wanted to talk about, and didn't dare say anything that would risk angering the girl.

Erza was having difficulty deciding whether or not to speak what was on her mind. It was a rather difficult and sensitive subject.

"By the way..." Erza finally said and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

 **CLANG!**

"Ouch!"

Without a hint of warning, Erza brought Naruto's head to her chest affectionately. But with her torso being completely covered in armor, it hurt quite a bit.

"I just wanted to say that you are a kind, and humble person. I am honored to have you as a comrade." Erza said softly, seemingly unfazed that she had just slammed the blonde's head into solid metal.

'This again?' Naruto thought as he internally cried. That metal really hurt! "T-thanks, Erza…" He said as he was finally let go, rubbing his now bruising skull.

Erza smiled fondly. "You are definitely one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail." Not just in strength, but in heart as well.

Naruto felt his face heat up. When Erza smiled like that, it was truly a sight to be seen. She truly was beautiful. Growing flustered, Naruto adverted his gaze. "I've been wondering for a while now… Just who is the most powerful member of Fairy Tail besides the old man?"

Erza hummed in thought. "Ever since you defeated Laxus, who was thought to be one of our strongest members, people have been thinking that you are the guild's strongest member."

Naruto's eyes widened at this. "Woah, really!?"

"Yes. Be that as it may, there might just be one other member that may still be stronger than you." Erza said before the two heard a loud bell start to ring.

People were shouting and cheering outside the library in the bar-hall. Something must have happened.

The two decided to cut their chat short to investigate and after exiting the library, they found all the guild members celebrating. It looked like a festival was going on.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he and Erza ran up to a group of people.

Lucy didn't seem to know what was going on either. "I don't know. The bells just started ringing and now everyone's going crazy."

"It's Fairy Tail's ace, Gildarts." Mirajane said with a smile. "It seems he's come back."

"He's the one I was talking about." Erza said, a knowing smile on her own features.

Naruto and Lucy both looked at each other. Since they had both arrived at the guild at the same time, this was their first-time hearing of this Gildarts person.

"So he's the strongest member?" Naruto asked. Just what kind of person was this Gildarts? If he's as strong as everyone was making him out to be, he must pretty powerful. It was making him pretty excited.

Mirajane nodded. "And he's been gone for three years now."

"Doing what?" Lucy asked.

"A ten-year quest." Mirajane simply answered.

Lucy's eyes bulged while Naruto just looked more confused. "What's a ten-year quest?"

"It's a job that no one has been able to complete for ten years." The eldest Strauss sibling explained.

"They're jobs that are even more difficult than S-Rank missions and even SS-Rank missions." Erza added.

Naruto grinned, he'd have to try taking on one of those missions in the future. He didn't know how hard a job like that would be, but there was no way it would take him ten years to finish it!

"What makes Gildarts so amazing, is that he even took on a one-hundred-year quest."

By the look on Lucy's face, Naruto assumed that meant those missions were even harder than the ten-year quests. That made Naruto grow even more excited to meet this Gildarts guy.

" **All people prepare for the Gildarts shift!"** A voice that was being projected by a magical megaphone echoed throughout the town.

"What's a "Gildarts shift"?" Lucy asked and Mirajane pointed to the entrance.

"You'll find out if you go outside."

They then found out what the Gildarts shift really was. The entire town literally shifted into two separate sides, leaving a trail that led straight to Fairy Tail in the middle.

"Gildarts uses Crash magic, so he accidentally destroys things when he isn't careful." Mira explained as they walked back inside.

"They reconstructed the town, just for him?" Naruto asked in awe, before he grinned mischievously. He was going to have to throw Fairy Tail's strongest mage a welcoming party.

Lucy noticed Naruto's grin and sweatdropped, knowing full well what her partner was planning on doing.

* * *

Gildarts casually walked through the gap that had opened between the town towards where he knew his guild was at. He'd just been through one hell of a job, that he failed, and just wanted to take it easy and see some familiar faces.

He walked through the front gates to the guild and proceeded to move towards the entrance. After opening the doors, he sighed and walked in. 'Home sweet hom-'

 **SNAP!**

His thoughts were cut short when something snapped under his foot. Gildarts found that he had stepped on a tripwire. Following the wire, he looked up just in time to see a bucket flip upside down and drop dozens of orange pellets.

"What the hell?" Gildarts said as the pellets fell on him, exploded, and covered him head-to-toe in orange paint.

The man stood there for a couple of seconds, not really sure on how to react at the moment. Shaking his head, Gildarts looked around to find a crowd of people staring at him in shock. 'There's a lot of unfamiliar faces here, and I don't remember there being a prankster in the guild. I must have the wrong place.'

Gildarts walked up to a nearby women to ask for directions. "Excuse me miss, I was sure there was a guild called Fairy Tail around here..."

"You're standing in it. It's me, Mirajane!" The woman said cheerfully while pointing to herself.

"Huh?" Gildarts looked at her closely before his eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! You look so different! And our guild has been renewed!"

Mirajane nodded before smiling awkwardly. "Um... You have a little something-"

"Oh yeah! Who's the bastard with the paint balls!?" Gildarts demanded angrily and looked around the guild for the one responsible for turning him orange.

The guild members all pointed towards a laughing teenage boy with spiky blonde hair.

"Hahaha! Man, I think I get it now! The really strong people are either super lame like Gildarts or Kakashi-Sensei, or super perverts like the old man, pervy-sage, or Kakashi-Sensei!" The boy said while walking over.

Kakashi sweatdropped. 'I'm not that lame... Am I?'

Gildarts' eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Was this a new member? He did have the guild mark on his left hand. "What's your name kid?"

The whiskered teen grinned and pointed at his forehead protector with his thumb. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! Shinobi of the village hidden in the leaves, and member of the guild Fairy Tail!"

The guild's strongest member raised an eyebrow at that. 'An orange ninja?'

"And..." Naruto started before pointing at Gildarts, a determined grin on his face. "I challenge you for the title of strongest!"

The entire guild gasped at the declaration while Gildarts just stared at Naruto with a dumb look.

"Huh?"

Naruto faltered, but quickly recovered pointed at the older man again. "I said I challenge to a fight old man!"

"I'm not that old you little brat!" Gildarts shouted back while shaking an angry fist.

Naruto snickered at the man's reaction and kept on. "We can postpone the fight to later if you want, you must be tired from your quest. I guess it can't be helped, people tend to have less energy when they get older."

The people around Naruto began to back away when a tick-mark grew on Gildarts' forehead.

Lucy gulped. 'What is that idiot thinking!? Picking a fight with the strongest member in Fairy Tail!' She had tried to talk him out of the prank, a lot of people did in fact. But Naruto had only waved them off and told them they'd all have a good laugh.

Sakura was trying her best to keep herself from walking over to the idiot and knocking some sense into him. This was just like when he pranked Kakashi when he was late for their first meeting. Only this time, it was a man that was rumored to have enough power to level an entire building just by walking into it!

Naruto came to regret going as far as he did when Gildarts landed a strong uppercut to his jaw while he was laughing his ass off, sending him straight into the ceiling. The lower half of his body hung loosely from the roof.

Everyone stood there completely shocked, having just watched one of their strongest members get one-shot by Gildarts.

Kakashi shook his head, knowing full well his student had what was coming to him.

The only one not surprised by this was Makarov. In fact, he was cheering. "Yeah! That'll teach that brat to respect his elders!"

"Oh, master! Long time no see!" Gildarts said and walked over to the wizard saint. Though not before looking back up at Naruto. 'That kid sort of reminds me of Natsu. Where was that kid anyway?'

"Gildarts! Fight me!"

Gildarts turned around to the entrance and saw Natsu leap at him, his fists already on fire.

"Oh, there you are Natsu." Gildarts said before launching the teen up towards the ceiling with a careless punch.

Natsu flew straight into the roof and right next Naruto, his legs dangling comically in a similar fashion.

Gildarts chuckled to himself before turning back to the guild master. "Seems you got another hotheaded kid while I was gone."

Makarov sat down and nodded. "Yup… That brat's giving me grey hairs on my gray hairs. But I'll explain all of that to you later. How was the mission?"

The powerful mage looked at the old man before bursting out laughing, confusing some people.

"Nope. I'm not good enough for that."

As everyone tried to comprehend that the ace of Fairy Tail failed a mission, Naruto's legs could be seen kicking fruitlessly as he tried to get himself free.

"Damn that geezer... He got a lucky shot in while I was too busy laughing!" His head was poking out of the ground to the second floor, so he was able to speak freely.

"Sounds like you got your ass kicked." Natsu mocked and Naruto glared at him.

"I was distracted! And you got one-shot too so I don't want to hear it!"

"Yeah sure, I'm outta here!" Natsu said and pushed himself back down to the first floor. He wasn't as high up in the floor so his arms were freer, making it easier to push himself down.

'Ugh... I'm too tired to get myself out of here...' Naruto thought as he looked around the room for someone to help him. Though it may just be excuses, Naruto actually was pretty tired. Not only did he have a sparring match with Natsu, Lee, and Elfman. But he had been practicing his runes almost the whole time from that job with Wendy and Cana, which he had just gotten back from earlier that day.

Sage Mode really took its toll on the body.

Speaking of Cana, Naruto found the girl sitting alone at one of the tables. She was sipping from a bottle of booze like usual. In fact, there was quite a few bottles on the table. He wondered why she was up here all by herself while everyone else was downstairs. 'Only one way to find out...'

"Hey, Cana! Can you help me out? I'm stuck!"

She must not have heard him because she didn't respond, or even look in his direction for that matter. Was she drunk?

"Oi~!" Naruto shouted and finally got a reaction.

"Argh! Would you shut the hell up! Can't a girl drink in piece!?" Cana yelled angrily and slammed her hands onto the table.

"Sorry, but I could use a little help here!" Naruto shouted back and the girl sent him an odd look, as if she just realized what she was looking at.

"Let me guess-*Hic*...you challenged Gildarts?"

"Yeah, and he got a lucky hit on me while I was laughing at him for being orange. Now can you please help me out of here?"

'Orange?' Cana thought but walked over to him, or at least tried to. She must have been really drunk since she was totally swerving in her steps, almost falling down a couple times.

"H-hey! Watch out!" Naruto yelled when she finally fell and landed right in front of him. Yeah, she was totally wasted.

"Why hello there..." Cana said with a seductive voice, her face only inches away from the blonde's.

Naruto blushed from how close the girl was, but frowned and turned his face away. Her breath reeked of booze. "Why are you so drunk?"

Cana rolled her eyes at the lame reaction. "I think a better question is, why aren't you?"

"Because I don't drink... Now can you get me out of here or what?"

"Aw~ Is someone grumpy cause they lost a fight?" Cana teased.

Naruto was not amused.

"Okay okay, I'm help you out now."

"Finally..."

"In one condition."

"What!?"

The brunette sat up and grinned slyly, she'd been waiting for a moment like this. "If I help you out, you have a drink with me." Cana had been trying to get this boy to drink with her ever since he had first showed up at the guild, and now was her chance to see if he could hold his drink.

Naruto sent the girl a flat look, but sighed and nodded his head. "Fine." He was too tired to try and get himself out and didn't feel like waiting for the others to help him.

Cana's grin grew as she grabbed onto the shinobi's head and began to pull him out.

"Owowowow!" Naruto cried out in pain as it felt like his head was gonna pop right off.

"Ah, quit being such a girl!" Cana grunted before finally pulling Naruto free from the ground.

They both fell back and Naruto landed on top of Cana with his hands on her shoulders, pinning the girl down to the floor.

"Well aren't you daring..." Cana cooed while taking a mental photo of the flustered face Naruto was making.

Why did he keep landing on top of girls and ending up in such embarrassing situations!? First there was Juvia when he had tackled her to get out of the way of an enemy attack, and he had accidentally grabbed her chest when they landed. Then there was Lucy when she flew into him out of nowhere at the end of the twenty-four-hour race, and he ended up on top of her with their lips together! And now this! If someone were to see them right now, it would look like he had pushed her to the ground!

"S-sorry!" Naruto said and scrambled off the girl.

Cana chuckled and slowly got up, she was beginning to get a headache. Maybe she did drink a little too much... Nah.

Naruto looked around the room and sighed a breath of relief when he found he was in the clear. "Thanks. I would have gotten myself out, but I'm kinda beat right now."

"You don't say. You got quite a bruise there on your chin, let's got something cold on that." Cana said and stood up to walk back to her table. She still had some unopened bottles that were still cold.

The ninja his rubbed his chin and winced when he found that he was indeed growing lump. "That guy sure packs a punch..."

"What did you do to make him hit you so hard?" Cana asked and handed him a cold bottle of booze, then took a bottle for herself.

Naruto shrugged and took the bottle before applying it to his bruised chin, shivering slightly from its temperature. "I pranked him by covering him in orange paint. Man this is cold..."

Cana spewed her drink all over the table, just barely missing Naruto's face. "You painted him orange!? Hah! That's great! Damn, I wish was there to see it! Is he still here?"

"No, I don't feel him here anymore. That guy sure has a powerful presence, ya know?" Naruto's magical sensing prowess was really improving in his base form from all the training he'd been doing as of late. "But don't worry, I had a shadow clone take a picture with my lacrima camera. I'll show you later as soon as I go get it back."

"Sweet." Cana said with a grin. As dense as the teen was, he sure was reliable in situations like this. "Now then, without further adieu... Let's drink!"

Naruto sighed and uncapped his bottle. "Yeah yeah, I got it. A promise is a promise."

"Oh, we're not drinking that."

"Eh?"

Cana smirk and brought out a fancy looking bottle, she'd been saving that bottle for a special occasion. "This is some real strong stuff." She said and placed down two small shot glasses for the two of them.

Naruto groaned as he watched the alcohol get poured into the glasses. "I should have seen this coming..."

"Yup. This is punishment for making me drink coffee! That stuff is like anti-booze!" Cana raged and slid one of the shots over to Naruto. "Cheers~"

"Cheers..."

'Well, I guess there's no way out of this...' Naruto thought and brought the glass up to his mouth.

Cana drank her shot in one go, letting out a satisfied sigh as she anxiously watched Naruto drink, expecting the teen to start coughing because it was too strong. But she went wide eyed when he downed it like a champ.

Naruto let out a sigh and placed the shot glass upside-down onto the table.

"How...?"

Unknowing to Cana, Naruto had learned the proper way to drink strong alcoholic beverages during his training trip with Jiraiya. Which was unavoidable, since the old pervert had drank at every inn they stayed at to flirt with women.

"So, we good now?" Naruto asked and Cana growled.

"No way! Let's go another round!" She shouted and poured them both another glass.

'When did this become a competition?' Naruto thought with a sweat-drop.

After a couple shots later, Naruto took the bottle away from a very drunk Cana.

"Heeeey... Give that...*Hic!* ...back!" Cana demanded and swiped to Naruto's left, completely missing and landing flat on the table.

"No way, I'm cutting you off." Naruto said and sealed the bottle away so she couldn't get it back. Even he was starting to get a little drunk, and he had a fox demon that naturally burned the alcohol in his system. The fact that this girl was still conscious even after drinking before their little competition was impressive.

"Thish ain't over... I'll... I'll..." She started but then started snoring.

Naruto poked her head. "Hey, did you fall asleep?" He sighed when she didn't respond. 'Great, and I can't just leave her here...'

Seeing as there was still no one else around for some odd reason, Naruto heaved the drunken girl onto his back and prepared to walk to the guild's infirmary.

"You're such... a nice guy..." Cana mumbled.

"Cana?" Naruto said and looked back, but her eyes were closed. 'Huh, she must be talking in her sleep.' He thought with a shrug and started walking.

But Cana was not asleep, only pretending to be. 'Naruto… You really are a nice guy...' Cana thought to herself as Naruto stopped by the door when he noticed what looked to be scratch marks on the frame. 'But you're just like him...'

"Hm? Scratch marks? I wonder who did this?" Naruto wondered aloud, but decided it was probably Happy or a from a random bar fight. Stranger things have happened here.

'A womanizer... Even if you don't mean to be.'

Little did Naruto know, someone had been watching them. Which was also the reason no one had come into the room, because the person had been scaring people off with their killer intent.

But who was this person? The guild members who were scared off claimed it was an angry ghost, some even thought it was a demon. Thus, the rumor of the second floor being haunted began.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! I apologize for the wait. Final exams are coming and I've been stressing over one of my classes.**

 **But anyways, what did you think? Who was watching Naruto and Cana at the end there? Do I smell jealousy in the air? And what about that prank on Gildarts? Classic Naruto...**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns.**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	25. A New Rival(?)

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/11/2017**

* * *

"Do you have any idea what you did!?"

Naruto winced from the sudden outburst. It was early in the morning, but Lucy wanted to go to the guild early for some reason. But he was extremely tired from all the drinking he had done the night before. One could call it a hangover.

'This is why I hate drinking...' Naruto thought before sighing. "Hey, what can I say? There was something about that guy that made me want to challenge him, ya know?"

Sakura had been there with Mirajane when they arrived at the guild, and boy was she giving him an earful about challenging Gildarts.

"You pranked a man who can destroy an entire building if he tripped! Kami, you haven't changed one bit in that perspective at all! Why don't you ever think before you act!? I swear, it's always..."

Sakura's words slowly faded as Naruto tuned her out from his head. 'But still... That geezer was strong! He had so much magic power compared to everyone else that it's almost like night and day!' He was looking forward to fighting Gildarts, too bad he was still resting from his trip.

Lucy watched the two ninja in front of her and shook her head. 'Was it always like this with these two? I almost feel sorry for Naruto...' Sakura was a nice person, but this was a little much. Lucy assumed it had something to do with them having known each other for so long, and when she saw it was like an older sister scolding her little brother.

Deciding it was time to save Naruto, Lucy spoke up. "Everything was fine in the end, wasn't it? For now, how about we decide what we're going to do today!"

Sakura looked at the girl, then back at Naruto, before sighing. "Fine. But could you at least try and act a little more mature, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked before nodding his head and laughing. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure thing Sakura-Chan!"

'He wasn't even listening...' Sakura thought and clenched her fist in anger, but she let it go. She really was trying her best to keep her temper in check.

"Okay, so what do you guys want to do today? I'm pretty sure you all know enough about this place that you don't need to research anymore right? Then how about we go on a job?" Lucy asked excitedly. It had been awhile since she had gone on a job, with Naruto having been gone for the last couple of days. 'And with someone like Sakura-San coming along, we'd be able to go on a bigger job!'

Bigger jobs meant more rent money!

Sakura raised an eyebrow as Lucy's expression suddenly turned dark. "What's she doing?"

Naruto shrugged. "Lucy does that sometimes, she has these random mood swings."

"I don't have random mood swings!" Lucy denied angrily, having heard what he had said.

"See?" Naruto said and laughed when his partner began to pout.

They then began to discuss the kind of job they would want to go on. Naruto, like always, wanted to go on a monster hunt. But Lucy claimed they always did monster hunts and suggested a search type mission, like finding a rare resource or ingredient.

Sakura, not really knowing what missions were like in this world, just sat back and waited for the two to decide. It was pretty interesting watching the two interact. They acted so natural around one another that it almost worried her. 'I wonder where Hinata is... I know she was busy with something, but I was sure she would be done by now.' In fact, Sakura was sure the Hyūga would have come to the guild when she heard Naruto had had returned, but she never did.

The trio were so engrossed with their conversation and thoughts that they almost missed Mirajane walk over to them.

"Good morning you three, thinking about going on a job today?" Mirajane asked and Lucy nodded.

"Yup! Rent is just around the corner and I'm completely broke..."

The white-haired beauty giggled before turning to Naruto. "Before that though, do you think I could barrow Naruto-Kun? I was just about to go grocery shopping and I could use an extra hand."

Naruto got up from his seat and nodded. "Sure thing Mira-Chan! Where are we headed?"

Lucy frowned slightly. Had Mira always referred to Naruto with "Kun"? 'This spells trouble... I better go along.' She thought and stood up as well. "Mind if I come along too? We're actually running pretty low on food back at home and I'm tired of eating ramen."

While Naruto complained to Lucy about his favorite food, Mirajane smiled. "That's alright, Naruto-Kun should be more than enough. We can pick you up some supplies while we're out." She said and before Lucy could press on, the barmaid pulled out a magazine and handed it to Sakura. "By the way Sakura, did you know about the Weekly Sorcerer Magazine? It has all sorts of things about Fairy Tail and the other guilds. I actually pose as a model in it sometimes."

Lucy began to sweat bullets as Sakura took the magazine in hand.

"Thanks Mira-San, I was actually curious about this magazine. I guess I'll look through it while you guys are out." Sakura said and began to look through the magazine's content.

"Alright, shall we be off then?" Mirajane said to Naruto and the two began walking towards the front doors.

Lucy looked back and forth between Naruto and Sakura, then Mirajane and the magazine. 'That's no fair Mira-San!' She thought before making up her mind. "Ah, Sakura-San? Do you think I could borrow that for second?"

* * *

After going to the town's food square, Naruto and Mirajane were heading back to the guild.

Naruto was surprised the shops were even open this early in the morning, the sun was barely even out. He looked at the small bags he was carrying, they didn't really get all that much, and he wondered if she really needed him at all. 'Oh well, it's not like I could say no to Mira-Chan!'

They were crossing a bridge when Mirajane suddenly stopped.

Naruto stopped and looked back at the girl in confusion. "Something wrong Mira-Chan?"

The white-haired beauty shook her head as she gazed at the sunrise, it was still early enough that the sun still wasn't fully out yet. "Do you mind if we watch the sunrise before we go back?"

"Sure." Naruto said and moved next to the girl. He put the bags onto the ground beside him and leaned forward onto the railing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mirajane said.

Naruto glanced over at the girl next to him and felt his cheeks heat up. The light shining on them was growing brighter, causing Mirajane's features to glow. A small gust of wind picked up so she used a hand to keep her hair from flying into her face. The girl just radiated with beauty and Naruto just couldn't help but notice it.

"Yeah..." Naruto agreed absentmindedly, dazed from the from the model's beauty. Realizing he was staring, Naruto shook his head and went back to watching the sunrise. It was almost over.

Mirajane smiled to herself, having noticed the blonde's staring. But that smile quickly faded. "Your friends told us about your past... I can understand why you never brought it up."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked over at the girl, his flustered feeling now gone. So that's why some people were acting so strange. "Did they? It wasn't too bad, they probably made it sound a lot worse than it actually was."

The barmaid stayed silent for a while and Naruto thought he might have offended her.

"A long time ago, the church in my hometown had been taken over by a demon." Mirajane suddenly said. "I helped the townspeople and destroyed it. But being so young and inexperienced with magic I unconsciously absorbed the demon, and even took on some of its features."

Naruto eyes widened, knowing where her story was heading.

"Naturally, the townspeople scorned me, thinking I was possessed by the demon."

They were the same… Both being shunned by the people around them for something they had no control over. "What about your parents?" He asked, but already assumed what the answer was.

Mirajane shook her head. "Our parents died when we were very young, me and my siblings have lived alone ever since."

"..." So he was right. How could life be so cruel? To leave a young child to fend for herself with no help?

"Don't look like that, Naruto-Kun..." Mirajane said, seeing the shinobi had clearly been affected by her story. But it kind of made her happy, to know that there was someone else in this world that had experiences so similar to her own. Even if that person wasn't even from their world.

Mirajane then went on and finished her story. About how she and her siblings had to leave their home town, about their meeting with Fairy Tail, and eventually about Lisanna's death.

Naruto clenched his fists. Every time he heard a story like this, it just made him so angry. To think that people would go so low as to force a child and her siblings to skip town. How could someone as nice as Mirajane go through such experiences. Not to mention her little sister.

'Getting upset about it won't help anything… I don't want to make Mira-Chan sad.' Naruto thought before settling with a sigh and relaxing his fists. "We've had it pretty rough, haven't we?"

Mirajane shook her head again. 'No, you had it far worse than I did Naruto...' She had the love and support of her siblings, while Naruto had been all alone from the start. Yet he still went and spoke as if it were the opposite.

"You really are kind, aren't you Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "I'm nowhere near as kind as you, Mira-Chan. I used to prank the people in my town on a daily basis to get their attention!"

The barmaid giggled, the mood seemed to be turning brighter. "Oh? I wouldn't be so sure. I was once called "The Demon of Fairy Tail"."

Naruto looked at the girl in surprise. "Seriously? Yeah right, I don't believe it."

Mirajane pouted playfully. "I'm not lying! Ask Erza next time you see her. We were eternal rivals and used to fight a lot."

They picked up the bags and began to walk back to the guild as they continued their chat.

Both had failed to notice the lock of blonde hair sticking out from behind a couple of barrels next to a shop as they passed by.

Lucy stuck her head out as soon as the coast was clear. She had somehow managed to keep Sakura from reading this week's article and new rumors about Naruto in the Weekly Sorcerer's Magazine, and was even able to sneak out unnoticed. But when she had finally found the two, she couldn't get close enough to hear what they were talking about. But their conversation seemed kind of serious until they had started laughing, which worried her.

'What is Mira-San planning?' Lucy thought as the owner of the shop noticed her.

"Um... miss? Could I ask what you're doing?" The shop keeper asked nervously and flinched when the girl shushed him.

"Shh! I'm trying figure out what Mira-San's motive is!" Lucy hissed and went back to her thoughts. Just what was Mirajane planning? Did she fall in love with Naruto? To her, Mirajane was acting the same as she usually did. But that didn't mean all that much, considering how hard it was to read the cheerful girl.

But wait, was it really only Juvia and (maybe)Mirajane that were after Naruto? She could faintly remember Hinata staring at him fondly and blushing whenever they talked. Granted the girl was very timid, but it didn't hurt to be over cautious.

Then there was Cana. She wasn't sure about the brunette either and couldn't tell if she was into Naruto, or just loved teasing him. For all she knew, it could be both!

The memory of Erza denying having feelings for Naruto when they were in the bath hall the other day floated into her mind. The two powerhouses were on very good terms, but was there more to it than that? Erza was always smiling whenever Naruto was around. But then again, he did save her old comrade Jellal...

"Argh! I just can't tell!" Lucy shouted and stood up in frustration.

"Uh... miss? You're scaring away my customers..."

Lucy looked around and blinked, realizing that there was now a crowd of people staring at her with strange/amused eyes. "S-s-s-sorry~!" She shouted and bolted out of there in embarrassment. Come to think of it, she had to hurry and get back to the guild before Naruto and Mirajane did. She could figure out what the girl was plotting later.

* * *

 **Later That Night...**

"That beast better not have laid a finger on you, did he Wendy!?"

"Carla!"

Naruto didn't even try to hold back his groan. Why was this cat so irritating!? There he was, just sitting at a table and talking with his friends, and Carla had just randomly appeared out of nowhere and started accusing him. Just what did he do to anger her so much?

"Can't we all just be friends here...?" Lucy asked nicely, trying to be the peacekeeper.

"I will not stand Wendy being anywhere near him without supervision! Who knows what could have happened if that alcoholic woman hadn't gone with..." Carla trailed off while shivering.

"Naruto-San wouldn't do such a thing! Carla, you're just being silly!" Wendy said and tried to defend the shinobi.

"If you were so worried about her, why didn't you just come with?" Cana asked with a shrugged.

The white cat just huffed and turned away stubbornly.

Happy walked up to Carla and offered her a fish. "Are you hungry? Do you want a fish?"

Carla responded with a cold stare. "You're not any better, male cat. Just stay away from me! ...And I hate fish!" After saying that, she jumped off the table and left the guild.

"Ah! Wait Carla!" Happy called out and ran after her.

"What's that cat's problem?" Naruto asked and Wendy stood up and bowed her head to the group apologetically.

"I'm very sorry! Carla must still be in a bad mood..." She said before heading to the exit. "I'm going to go after them!"

"Do you think they'll be fine?" Lucy asked as she watched the little girl leave.

"What did she mean by foul mood? Did something happen?" Sakura asked and Cana pointed to Naruto.

"Why don't you ask our guild's number-one prankster?"

Sakura looked at the whiskered teen in question. "Naruto…"

"I might have pranked her during the race before you guys arrived..." Naruto said and upon mentioning the race, he felt dozens of eyes on him throughout the guild. 'I guess they're still a little upset about that...'

"I warned you about taking your pranks too far." Lucy said with the shake of her head.

"Right? He's so childish to be pranking at his age!" Sakura said and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"He really is immature for his age."

"You know, I'm right here guys…" Naruto said with a bitter smile.

"We're just saying you should act a little more like your age." Sakura said and Naruto poked at the table.

"Am I really childish...?"

Everyone at the table nodded in unison.

A rain cloud formed over Naruto's head as he sulked.

"Need a drink?" Cana offered and Naruto just sent her a flat look before going back to sulking.

"How could you all say that about Naruto-Sama!?" Juvia shouted as she stomped up to their table. She had been watching them from across the bar and couldn't stand anymore of this.

'Juvia...!' Naruto's face brightened and Juvia smiled at him. That's right, if there was anyone here that wouldn't think he was childish, it would be Juvia.

"Naruto-Sama could be the most childish person in the world and Juvia wouldn't care!"

Naruto face faltered.

"Now then, Juvia shall take Naruto-Sama away to-Eh? Naruto-Sama?" Juvia looked around and found that he was gone.

Lucy frowned. Maybe she went a little too far with the teasing?

* * *

"I'm not that childish... I just like to have fun, what's wrong with that?" Naruto grumbled to himself. He was so caught up in his grumbling that he almost passed Hinata without even noticing her. "Oh, Hinata! Where have you been? I haven't seen you since I got back!"

"G-good evening Naruto-Kun." Hinata said while struggling to meet his eyes.

Naruto noticed she was holding something behind her back and when Hinata saw this, she brought out what she was holding and offered him a large red and black cloth that was neatly folded up.

"Is this... My sage cloak! Did you fix it?" Naruto said excitedly and shook the cloth until it was unfolded out in front of him. The cuts and tears had been perfectly stitched back together as though it were brand new.

"Yes, Mira-San asked if I could stitch it for her." Hinata said while poking her fingers together nervously.

Naruto nodded and put it on with haste. "Sweet! It feels great to have this back! Thanks Hinata!"

Hinata blushed and nodded shyly, both from the praise and the attention she was getting from the blonde.

"Hehe! Now Lucy won't think I'm childish anymore! I look more mature while wearing this, she said so herself!" Naruto said and all the warm fuzzy feelings Hinata was feeling shattered in an instance.

Lucy? Wasn't the one that loved Naruto here Juvia?

Hinata looked across the bar hall at the table Lucy was sitting at. 'I'll have to keep an eye on her...' She thought and her lips twitched when she laid eyes on Cana. She didn't know much about the brown-haired girl, but Hinata considered her a bad influence on Naruto, and it wasn't even the fact that she always walked around wearing only a bikini top and jeans. Every time Hinata saw Cana, the girl was either drinking or drunk from drinking.

"Naruto-Kun! Your ramen is done!" Mirajane called out from the bar. "Ah! I see you got your cloak! That's wonderful! Hinata worked so hard fixing it so make sure you thank her properly."

Naruto laughed and faced Hinata. "Thanks again for fixing my sage cloak, I really owe you one." He said and then began walking over to the bar to get eat his meal.

As Hinata watched Naruto leave, a shiver run up her spine. She crossed her arms together and looked around anxiously. She could have sworn she felt someone glaring at her.

* * *

"So when exactly did Naruto officially become a member of the guild?" Kakashi asked Makarov.

"Hm... A couple months now?" The old man answered absent mindedly. He was currently reading one of Kakashi's Icha Icha Paradise novels. "Hehehe... This book is great! Whoever thought of this was a genius!"

"Actually, the person who wrote that book was Naruto's master, Jiraiya-Sama." Kakashi said with an eye smile.

"Eh!? That dense brat's teacher!?" Makarov gawked and the jonin nodded. "Fufufu... I'm sure me and this Jiraiya would get along well."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, you probably would have."

Makarov's face paled. "Would?"

"Jiraiya-Sama passed away during an important mission." Kakashi said sadly.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry." Makarov said and put the book down.

"Hello Makarov-Dono, Kakashi-Senpai." Yamato greeted and took a seat near them at the bar.

"You were out for quite a while, feeling better?" Kakashi asked and Yamato nodded tiredly.

"Not all of us can walk off chakra exhaustion in one night like Naruto." The man said before he turned to Makarov. "Everything has been calm then? No more accidents?"

The old man looked across the bar to where Naruto was. He was sitting with Lucy and Juvia and they were being as loud as they usually were. "Well I wouldn't say calm but... Ah, hold that thought. Hey! Erza, over here!" Makarov called out the guild's strongest woman who had just walked into the guild with Tenten.

Erza nodded to Tenten, who nodded back and began walking towards the bar. "Yes, master?"

As soon as the girl was in front of him, Makarov closed his eyes in thought. "I was thinking about what to do with that one-hundred-year quest. Do you think it's about time I passed it onto someone else?"

The S-Class mage hummed in thought before glancing at the bar. "Normally I would say yes, but I have a feeling someone will be able to complete it, should you wait just a little longer."

The three men looked over to the bar and saw Naruto eating what looked to be his tenth bowl of ramen.

Makarov closed his eyes again. "I see... I guess I'll hold onto to it a little longer."

* * *

"One more bowl please!" Naruto called out before he belched and rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. While it wasn't Ichiraku Ramen, Mirajane's cooking was a close second.

"Naruto-Sama eating ramen is so adorable!" Juvia cried out with hearts in her eyes.

"There's nothing cute about a guy eating more that his stomach should be able to carry!" Lucy shouted in disagreement.

"Sorry, I just can't help myself. Ramen is the best!" Naruto said as Tenten walked up to their group.

"Hey guys."

Juvia quickly hid behind Naruto. 'Potential rival in love...?' But no one paid her any attention, as it was the norm now.

Although in Naruto's mind, he thought Juvia was just being shy.

Naruto waved to his fellow ninja. "Hey Tenten! Haven't seen you in a while. Whatcha been up too?"

"Erza-San has been showing me her favorite blacksmiths!" Tenten exclaimed, her eyes became stars as she spoke. "She even got me this enchanted sword! It has magic imbued in it and allows the user to conjure fire to extend its range!" She summoned the weapon via summoning scroll and showed it off.

It was a dark red short sword with an even darker red handle. Tenten pushed a button on the handle and fire covered the blade and extended further, easily doubling its length.

"Wow, a fire sword!" Lucy said in awe as Tenten did a few test swings. She loved any kind of magic, and magic items were no exception.

"A weapon with magic in it, huh?" Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That sounded handy, maybe he should get one.

"I can extend it even further than this, but it drains it's magic faster. The sword is powered by lacrima and it only came with a couple extra."

"*Munch!* It tastes good too!" Natsu said while chomping the flames.

"Hey! Stop eating my sword!" Tenten yelled and smacked him on the head with the hilt of her new weapon.

"Ow!" Natsu fell back and bumped into Gray, who just so happened to be passing by.

"Hey! Watch where you're going ya hot head!"

"You wanna go frosty!?"

The two then started brawling like they usually did.

Tenten shook her head and resealed her sword, she was still getting used to the idea of people with abilities like eating fire.

Naruto on the other hand was laughing his butt off. It was always fun watching his friends from both worlds interact with one another.

"Don't mind Natsu, he loves to eat fire." Erza said as she walked up to the two fighting mages. "Natsu! Gray! Behave! We have guests!"

At the sound of Erza's voice, both Natsu and Gray ceased fighting immediately.

"Y-yes ma'am!"

"Aye!"

'That's Erza for you...' Lucy thought just as Gajeel walked up to Naruto.

"Hey, Uzumaki! How long are you going to keep me waiting, huh!? It's time we settle our score!"

Naruto looked up at the metal eating man with a bored expression. "Eh? Did I? I must have forgotten..." He said with a monotone voice as he cleaned out his ear, earning a growl from the other teen.

"You bastard..." Gajeel was about to punch Naruto right out of his seat when Erza stepped forward.

"I don't think you've met Gajeel before, have you Tenten? He's a dragon slayer, like Natsu and Wendy."

"Nice to meet you Gajeel." Tenten said with a wave. Erza had been introducing her to some of the other members, and so far they'd all been a bunch of really nice people. So she was expecting the same from Gajeel but...

"Ahn?" Gajeel said in a very non-friendly manner. "Don't act all friendly with me. The only reason I'm here is to beat this guy." He morphed his arm into a sword and pointed it straight at Naruto. "So don't think I'll be a nice guy and-wha!? Hey!"

Tenten had grabbed onto Gajeel's transformed arm with stars in her eyes. "T-this is... This technique of yours is... Amazing! Turning your body into a weapon… How do you do it!?"

"H-huh…?" Gajeel was growing a little uncomfortable. 'What's with this girl!?'

Erza hummed. "Hm. Despite his difficult personality, Gajeel's ability to transform his limbs into iron weapons is admirable."

"You have to teach me how to do this!" Tenten asked urgently. As far as she knew, there was no known jutsu that transformed the user's limbs into weapons. She needed to learn this technique!

Not knowing how handle this sort of situation, Gajeel did the only thing he could.

He ran.

"Hey, come back!" Tenten yelled and chased Gajeel out of the guild. She was going to make him teach her that technique, even if she had to force the guy!

"They seemed like they got along well." Erza said with a chuckle before following them outside.

'I don't think so...' Lucy thought to herself.

Juvia tugged on Naruto's sleeve. "Juvia wants to know more about Naruto-Sama!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "You say that, but I don't even know where to start..."

Juvia hugged herself, puffing out her well portioned chest. "Does Naruto-Sama like them big, or small…?"

Lucy blushed, unconsciously covering her own chest. "J-Juvia!? W-w-what are you even asking all of a sudden!?" Seriously, why did the girl always ask the most outrageous questions?

"Hm..." Naruto hummed as he seemed to be in deep thought.

Lucy's blush deepened. 'He's actually thinking about it!?'

Mirajane walked over and placed a large bowl of ramen in front of Naruto just as his stomach growled from hunger.

"Large of course!" Naruto cheerfully said and dug into his eleventh _large_ bowl of noodles. It seemed he was still hungry.

'Ramen... Of course he was talking about ramen.' Lucy thought slightly disappointed, but relived at the same time.

"Large! Of course!" Juvia said as she furiously jotted down notes into a little notepad, hot steam coming out her nose.

"Don't misunderstand him on purpose!" Lucy shouted before sitting down on her stool tiredly, supervising Juvia was mentally exhausting.

"Naruto-Sama~!" Juvia cheered and affectionately latched onto Naruto's arm once more.

"Whoa! Careful Juvia, I almost spilled my ramen!" Naruto said, but the girl just giggled happily as she snuggled into his arm. Naruto blushed and scratched his cheek with his free arm. "Well, I guess it's okay... Hehe! You really are a friendly person Juvia!"

A tick-mark formed on Lucy's forehead. Somehow this scene just bothered her. This almost happened on a daily basis, but something about that flustered look on Naruto's face irked her. "Okay, that's enough!" Lucy stood up and moved between the two and tried to pry them apart. "Why don't you let Naruto eat in peace!"

"No! Juvia wants to be next to Naruto-Sama!" Juvia yelled as she defiantly clung to the ninja's arm.

"Hey, come on guys. No figh-" Naruto stopped mid-sentence. A weird feeling came over the jinchuuriki as he looked out a distant window. 'When did it start raining?'

Naruto was about to ask the others if they felt anything when he saw a bright flash and everything suddenly went black.

"What the!?" Naruto suddenly felt as if he was in a cramped space. He moved his hands around until he felt something soft. "Huh?" Naruto gave the object a few squeezes before his blood ran cold.

"Ahn~! Naruto-Sama... This is so sudden!" Juvia's voice purred out.

"Wah! I'm sorry!" Naruto wailed and threw his hands up into the cramped darkness. But they landed on another soft spot.

"Hey! Watch where you're touching!" This time it was Lucy's voice he heard. Only she sounded angry, if her foot had anything to say about it.

The three scrambled around in the cramped area, all trying to figure out what was going on.

It wasn't until another flash of light blinded them and they felt themselves fall onto the ground when they found out what had happened.

"Wha... Horologium!?" Lucy said as her vision cleared.

The clock spirit bowed humbly to his mater. "My apologies, Lucy-Sama. But I sensed danger and took you into a safe place. Naruto-Sama and Juvia-Sama were right next to you, so I brought them as well." He said before fading away back to the spirit world.

"Hey, wait!" Lucy said but the clock was already gone. She hadn't summoned the spirit which meant Horologium appeared using his own magic power, so it only made sense that he would disappear so quickly. 'But still... Where did he take us?'

'This place sure is creepy...' Naruto thought as he looked at the ominous clouds swirling in the sky.

They were in what looked to be a snowy field, but what they were standing on wasn't snow. The same stuff was also falling from the sky as well, whatever it was.

Juvia reached out a hand and watched as a white puff-ball landed on it. "Juvia has a bad feeling..."

The trio spun around when they suddenly heard footsteps coming their way and found a cloaked man walking towards them.

Naruto recognized the man. "Jay, is you? What's going on here?"

The man took off his mask and revealed his face to them, it was indeed Jellal. "I am not Jay, I am Mystogan."

"Eh?" Naruto squinted his eyes before they went wide with realization. While the man in front of them indeed looked like the Jellal he had saved from imprisonment, this Jellal felt like a different person. He also had the staves on his back like Naruto had remembered back when he had first met him. "Oh! Mystogan! I haven't seen you in a while! Do you know what's going on here? Where the heck are we?"

"This is Magnolia, it's been sucked up by Anima."

* * *

 **A/N: And thus, the Edolas arc officially begins! Naruto is going to shine in next couple of chapters!**

 **What did you think? Not a lot happened this chapter, while at the same time, a lot did happen!**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	26. Into Yet Another Dimension

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/28/2017**

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes and sat up, clutching his spinning head. "Well that was... Fun..."

The last thing he remembered was Mystogan briefly explaining what had happened and a lot of other confusing things, before the man had said he was going to send the three of them to Edolas. 'I hope Mystogan's okay… He looked exhausted.' He thought before he noticed he was alone.

"Lucy! Juvia! Can you hear me?" Naruto called out but got no response. He jumped onto a nearby tree and climbed to the top to get a better view of the area in hopes that it would help him find them.

"Woah..."

He was in a forest, that much was for sure. But what really caught his attention were the floating islands scattered across the horizon. 'I really am in another dimension…'

The view was breathtaking, but now wasn't the time to admire the landscape. He had a guild to save.

First, he had to find Lucy and Juvia. Then together, they could find out how to get everyone back.

Jumping down from the tree, Naruto closed his eyes and began to draw in the nearby magic and natural energy, only to find that he couldn't.

"Huh?" Naruto tried again, but it didn't work. In fact, he couldn't feel any magic in the air at all! "What the heck is wrong with this place!? There's no magic here!?"

There was a little magic, but it was so thin it would probably take hours to enter his magic enhanced sage mode.

'Well that just made things a lot harder….' He couldn't go into sage mode because there was not enough magic around, so that meant he'd have to find Lucy and Juvia the traditional way.

Naruto sighed and started walking.

He could always try going into the normal sage mode, but he didn't want to risk turning into a statue since he was so used to blending four energies instead of the usual three. He'd have to practice refresh his memory later though, he couldn't waste any time.

Naruto wondered what Kakashi and the others are doing. Since they didn't have any magic in them, they were all probably stranded in the middle where Magnolia used to be. Mystogan hadn't given him any time to look for them, saying there was no time because the Anima was closing.

After a couple minutes of walking, Naruto sensed a sudden surge of magic in the distance. With there being no Ethernano in the air, any bit of magic stuck out like a sore thumb to his senses, even when he wasn't in sage mode.

The magic was a bit of a distance away though, so he would have to hurry if he wanted to catch what it was.

'Since there's no magic here, maybe it's the others...' Naruto thought as he ran towards the place where he hoped to find his friends.

* * *

"This is... Fairy Tail!?" Naruto gawked as he looked up at the tree-like structure in the middle of a desert.

The words "Fairy Tail" were written just above the doors as well as the guild's mark. But why did the place look so different?

Deciding he wasn't going to get any answers just standing there, Naruto walked to the doors and pushed them open. When he poked his head through the opening, he found the guild members he knew all too well scattered throughout the place.

But something felt different.

Naruto saw Gray standing next to Juvia, but there was something off about the two. Gray was wearing layers upon layers of clothing, so much that he kind of looked like a snowball.

Juvia looked about the same, down to the large curls at the tips of her hair. But rather than her large blue coat that she normally wore, she was wearing a white sailor-like top that was tied just below her chest. She also wore a blue short-skirt and tights as well as high-heels. Instead of her usual large hat, she was wearing a mini top-hat that was slightly slanted.

"That sure was weird, right Juvia-Chan!?" Gray said as he looked at Juvia with hearts in his eyes.

"Stay away from me. You're making me hot just looking at you in all those clothes." Juvia said in a rude manner as she walked away.

"I'm sorry Juvia-Chan! I just get cold easily!"

"..."

Naruto was at a loss of words from how out of character the two seemed to him. He looked around the guild and found very similar cases with the other members.

He saw Jet and Droy picking on a crying Elfman who seemed to have failed a job, as well as Alzack and Bisca were acting all lovey dovey with one another.

The ninja just stood there at a loss of words until he heard a very lady-like voice.

"I hope those four will be alright... This is the king's army we're talking about."

'That's... Cana!?' Naruto thought and put a hand to his mouth to stop himself from laughing. But seeing Cana, the same girl that drank booze from a barrel, the girl that would belch out loud in a very unladylike manner, was dressed up like a doll! It was just too much him.

Naruto burst out laughing and fell inside, catching the attention of the entire guild.

"What the-Another intrusion?"

"Why is he laughing so hard?"

As they all crowded around Naruto menacingly, the blonde held his sides as he laughed.

"Aahaha! Oh man! That's just too much!" Though his laughter was cut short when Jet and Droy grabbed a hold of his collar.

"Hey punk, stop laughing like an idiot and tell us what you're here for!"

"Yeah, unless you want us to kick your ass? Ahn!?"

Okay, this was a little weird. Did they not recognize him? And when did Jet and Droy become so hot-headed?

Naruto put his hands up innocently. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Are you a spy sent by the kingdom?" Jet asked and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Naruto had to think of something quick or else a fight was going breakout. It was obvious everyone wasn't acting like themselves. Maybe they were all under the effects of an illusion?

"Hold on a second guys... Spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and a red coat. I think this might be the guy little me was talking about earlier." A woman with long blue hair said as she pushed her way through the crowd.

Naruto's eyes bulged out of his skull when he got a full look at the girl-no… The woman! 'Wendy-Chan!?'

'Wendy' raised an eyebrow at the way Naruto was looking at her before she giggled. "Seems I was right on the money."

* * *

"So that's what's going on..." Naruto groaned. This was just his luck. A power-hungry king, mad with power, used a magical machine that was called Anima to steal magic from Earthland because the stuff was apparently limited here. Coincidently, the town that they targeted happened to be Magnolia.

"That's just about it." Edo-Wendy said and leaned back in her chair. She had taken the liberty to explaining everything to Naruto alongside Edo-Juvia, since she had apparently promised the Wendy Naruto knew that she would should he ever show up there. Edo-Juvia was there because it was an excuse to get away from Gray.

Naruto looked at the woman sitting in front of him. Was this really the Wendy of this world? She looked just like the Wendy he knew, only older and had large… Naruto shook that thought out of his head. "Wait, how did Wendy-Chan know I was going to come here?"

The blue haired woman shrugged. "Beats me. Though I think I remember her saying that it was her cat that said you were going to show up."

Was she talking about Carla? How did she know he was coming here? Oh well, he could ask them as soon as he caught up with them. "So then why didn't they stay?"

If they knew he was going to come here, why didn't they wait for him so they could travel togther?

"Natsu said that you would just catch up to them anyways, so they left." Wendy simply said with a shrug.

Naruto sighed. Classic Natsu, always in a hurry. Though he couldn't blame the guy, he probably would have done the same. This was the fate of their friends they were talking about here.

"Juvia still can't believe the Juvia from Earthland follows this guy around like some... Fangirl." Edo-Juvia said from her seat next to Wendy. She had heard a little about how her Earthland counterpart being obsessed the boy in front of her, and it was unsettling to say the least. "Though it's better than being Gray..." She said with a twitching eyebrow as Edo-Gray held up a sign that said: "I love Juvia-Chan!".

"That's a little cold, don't you think?" Naruto said and sweatdropped. He turned around to see Edo-Gray glaring at him. He could only assume as to why.

"Gray is always trying to go on missions with Juvia and follows Juvia everywhere! It's annoying..."

Naruto frowned. Why did that sound so familiar to him?

"So, what do you plan on doing now?" Edo-Wendy asked.

"First, I'm gonna to find my friends. Then I'm going to go to this king of Edolas and tell him to turn the town back to normal." Naruto declared and the two girls started laughing at him. "W-what's so funny?"

"You know, your friends said the same exact thing." Edo-Wendy said and shook her head. "You guys just don't know how terrifyingly powerful the king's army really is. There's no way you can stand up to them."

"If it comes to it, I'll fight the king's army. I'm going to save my friends no matter what." Naruto said seriously, because he knew that they would do the same for him. It was just in the nature of Fairy Tail.

Edo-Juvia sighed. "It seems the mages of Earthland's Fairy Tail all think the same way."

"I guess so." The other blue haired girl agreed.

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head, knowing full well that it was true. 'Well, I guess it's time I head out. But before that...' He looked across the room and towards this world's Mirajane, who seemed to be just as cheerful as the Mirajane he knew.

Though he wasn't looking at the barmaid, but the girl next to her. Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane's supposed deceased younger sister.

At first he had assumed that the Lisanna of this world hadn't died, but there was something about the girl that was bothering him. Excluding the magical weapons everyone in the guild carried, he couldn't sense any magic coming from the bodies of the people here. All except Lisanna.

Lisanna was talking with her sister when she turned and walked down one of the halls with a bag in her hands.

Now was his chance.

"Hey, is there a restroom here?" Naruto asked and the older looking Wendy nodded.

"It's just down that hallway." She said and pointed to the same hallway Lisanna had just walked into.

'Lucky!' Naruto thought and thanked the girl before heading in that direction. He needed to hurry and find his friends, but this was something he just had to confirm for Mirajane's sake.

* * *

Lisanna sighed as she tossed the garbage she was holding outside. What a day it had been for her.

First Natsu and Happy seemingly show up out of nowhere, and not the Natsu that was from this world, but the Natsu she had been so close with back in Earthland. She had been so shocked that she couldn't even tell them it was really her.

Then that Naruto fellow showed up and it worried her. The Wendy from Earthland and the white cat that were with Natsu and Happy had talked about him, that he was good at sensing magic and was probably going to show up here. It worried Lisanna because she wasn't sure if she was ready to be found out yet. Though to her relief, it seemed that he hadn't caught onto her.

"Yo." Someone suddenly said from behind Lisanna, causing the girl to jump in surprise.

Whirling around, Lisanna saw that it was none other than Naruto. He was staring at her with a calculating look on his face.

"W-what?"

After a few seconds, the boy bobbed a fist on his hand. "You really are Lisanna!"

Crap, he found out.

Lisanna kept silent, not sure what to say. What was she supposed to say? Back in Earthland, everyone she knew thought she was dead, including her own siblings.

Naruto crossed his arms. "I'm guessing you haven't told anyone here since Natsu and the others were just here not too long ago."

Lisanna shook her head somberly.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, so I'm not gonna pry. Just know that from what I've heard, everyone back in Earthland misses you." Naruto said and turned around to leave. "I'm gonna go save my friends now, it was nice meeting you though Lisanna."

The youngest Strauss sibling watched as Naruto walked back into the guild before seeping to her knees. 'What should I do...?'

* * *

After thanking everyone for helping him, Naruto was about to leave the guild when the Edolas versions of Jet and Droy stepped between him and the doors. "Uh, can I help you guys?"

"Yeah, actually, you can. We heard from your friends that you're one of the strongest in Earthland's Fairy Tail." Jet said with a smirk.

"Well we're the strongest here." Droy said with a challenging voice.

"Listen guys, I'm in a bit of a hurry..." Naruto said and tried to sneak past the two, knowing full-well what they were implying. But he just didn't have the time to spare right now.

But Jet and Droy just blocked his path once more.

"Come on, just a quick fight."

"Or are the mages from Earthland just a bunch of chickens?"

Falling for their bait, a tick mark formed on Naruto's forehead. "Alright, fine! I'll take you both on at the same time!" He'd just beat them up real quick so he could get moving.

The two strongest members of Edo-Fairy Tail smirked victoriously as the rest of the members gasped.

"Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

Naruto stood in the middle of the middle a clearing in a desert, just a few meters from the guild.

Jet and Droy stood next to each other across from the jinchuuriki in front of a crowd that was the other guild members.

"You ready?"

Naruto sighed. He couldn't believe he was going to have a sparring match right now, and with Jet and Droy of all people. Not that he was calling them weak, but they were notorious in the guild for holding Levy back in their jobs.

Speaking of Levy, her Edolas equivalent was also watching their fight, cheering for her teammates. "Kick his ass boys! Show him who Fairy Tail's strongest team is!"

Naruto sweatdropped when he heard the normally cheerful girl use such foul language, but he waved to his opponents to get their attention. "Ready when you are!"

With an excited smile, Jet took off in a burst of speed while Droy gripped his club with both of his hands.

'So this Jet is also fast, huh?' Naruto thought as Jet closed the distance between them in no time at all, and ducked under a kick directed at his face.

Jet used the momentum if his kick to spin around and launch a punch at the blond, but Naruto just grabbed the incoming fist and pulled. Jet was taken by surprise as he was knocked off balance and fell to the ground, rolling in the sand a few times before coming to a stop.

Naruto almost failed to notice a bunch of golden trees sprouting all around him.

"You let your guard down!" Droy yelled and his club glowed as he commanded the magic trees to attack.

The ninja yelped as the branches started moving and tried to grab him. Naruto rolled out of the way of a branch, jumped over another, and slipped between some others as he dodged them.

Droy growled in frustration as his attacks kept missing. "Stop... moving!"

Naruto, deciding he had enough of these things, pulled out a kunai. Channeling wind chakra into it, he cut through all the branches around him, causing the trees to disappear.

"What!?" Droy panicked as he watched his magical tree get sliced apart.

Jet pulled himself up and spat on the ground. "This guy's tough... Droy! Let's finish this!" He called out and his partner nodded before they both started running towards Naruto at full speed.

Due to his magic shoes, Jet was the first to make it to Naruto first. He slid up to the teen and started another barrage of punches and kicks to buy time for Droy to set up the next part of their plan.

Droy's club started glowing again before he swung it downward as hard as he could. A massive stream of purple light shot forth towards the other two and Jet used his speed to quickly move out of the way.

Naruto was easily able to avoid the light as well, but what he didn't expect was for a giant tree that was roughly the same size as the tree-guild to sprout out of the ground.

If it weren't for him being able to stick to things, he probably would have been knocked into the air and left open for the tree to grab him. Because as soon as the tree stopped growing, it's long branches started moving towards him and once again to grab him.

'Stupid tree!' Naruto thought as he ran around the tree to avoid getting grabbed. He was starting to get annoyed by all the things trying to strangle him now. Maybe it was time he got serious.

Back down with the other guild members, Edo-Wendy watched as the shinobi climbed the tree.

"It's pretty impressive that he can climb things like that, but it looks like Jet and Droy have the advantage in numbers here."

Edo-Juvia nodded, a bored expression on her face. "Juvia is a bit disappointed, the mages of Earthland must be all talk. Though it's to be expected, Jet and Droy are candidates to being the strongest here."

The other members nodded in agreement to both statements, but their attention was drawn back to the massive tree when a number of "poofs!" went off and the top of the tree was covered in smoke.

They were then surprised to see over fifty copies of Naruto raining down from the tree like hail towards the equally surprised Jet and Droy.

"He can clone himself!?"

"Is this the magic of Earthland!?"

The Narutos laughed when they heard their surprise as they closed in on the shocked mages. "Dog pile!"

In a series of bursts of smoke, the shadow clones landed on Jet and Droy, smacking the two into the ground and further with each body slam.

The giant golden tree disappeared, indicating its creator's defeat.

Naruto landed onto the ground next to Jet and Droy. "How was that? Earthland magic isn't so bad, is it?" He said, lying about using magic instead of chakra. It wouldn't help to say that he was actually from a yet another dimension, would it?

They both barely managed to give him a thumbs up.

"He just beat Jet and Droy by himself..."

"Are all mages from Earthland this strong?"

'Is this why Lucy went after other guys?' Edo-Wendy thought as Naruto waved to them and started leaving. Lucy had left the guild claiming that she was going to go on a job a little after the other mages from Earthland had left, but Wendy thought otherwise.

Edo-Juvia was quite shocked herself. 'Is this why the other Juvia follows him? No… There has to be something else.'

* * *

"So… why did you guys decide to come along?" Naruto asked as he walked across the desert. Just as he had been leaving on his trip to find the royal capital, Edo-Wendy and Juvia had both followed him.

"Do you even know where the capital is? It's pretty far and we thought you might need help getting there." Edo-Wendy said with a lazy tone. While it was true that she thought Naruto needed an escort to the royal city, there was actually another reason she chose to go. During her little conversation with her other self earlier that day, the little girl had spoken rather highly of the blonde and it made her curious to see what was so fascinating about this 'Naruto'. Despite her other's best effort, Edo-Wendy could tell she had a schoolgirl crush on the older blonde. From her point of view, Naruto looked kinda attractive and was powerful, but she was wanted to know more about him.

"It'll be a couple days of walking, better be prepared." Edo-Juvia said as she glanced over at Naruto. She had a very similar reason as to why she decided to go with them. Having been told by the other world's Natsu that her Earthland counterpart was madly in love with the ninja, she wanted to know why. Because if she was being honest with herself, he wasn't all that good looking. The whisker marks were kind of cute, but the guy just wore too much clothing!

Naruto laughed when he realized that he indeed had no idea where he was going. "I guess you're right... Thanks."

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while.

Naruto was wondering where his friends from Konoha were and if they were here as well when it hit him. "Hey! That's it!"

The two girls looked at the ninja curiously when he suddenly bit his thumb and started making strange hand signs.

"Kuchiose no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled before placing his hand onto the ground and a small plume of smoke followed suit, slightly shocking them.

"A... Frog?"

"Not a frog, a toad." Naruto corrected before turning back to his summon. "Hey, can you guys reverse summon Kakashi-Sensei and the others to me? Long story short, I'm in another dimension and I could use all the help I can get."

The small toad looked up at his summoner and sighed. "You get into the weirdest situations, you know that Naruto? But sorry, I can't do it."

"What!? Why not!?"

"Because, those temporary contracts were exactly what they are. Temporary. They wear off over time and we would have to make another contract if you wanted to summon them."

Naruto groaned and hung his head loosely. Of course he couldn't summon them! "Oh well, sorry to bother you..." He said and the toad nodded before going back.

"What was that all about?" Wendy asked, confused as to what she had just witnessed. It wasn't every day you saw a man conversing with a toad.

"That was my summoning juts-er... Magic." Naruto said and they continued to walk again. "I signed a contract with the toads and I can summon them. Like you heard, my friends had signed a temporary contract with them so I thought I'd be able to summon them here. But I guess not."

Creating an army of clones, summoning talking animals. The magic of Earthland sure was different from their own.

A thought suddenly occurred to Edo-Juvia. "Who were those friends of yours that you wanted to summon then? Weren't the mages of your guild sucked up by Anima?"

Naruto hesitated in his answer. How did he know his friends weren't sucked up in the Anima? He had been saved by Lucy's clock spirit, but who knows what would have happened if that wasn't the case. "I guess it was just wishful thinking..." Naruto said and frowned, a little down at the depressing thought.

Edo-Juvia growled in frustration. "Ugh! All your moping is making Juvia depressed! What are you, some kind wimp!? You said it yourself, all you have to do is beat the king's army right? Or was that a lie?"

Naruto flinched back in surprise. He was not expecting those words to come out of Juvia's mouth. But then again, this wasn't the Juvia he knew. He then realized she was calling him a liar, which he was not. "I wasn't lying! I'm gonna kick that king's ass for turning my friends into lacrima!"

Wendy tapped Juvia's shoulder and whispered to her. "Are you sure it's okay to rile him up like that? This is the royal army we're talking about here..." Naruto seemed like the kind of guy that would do stupid things and Wendy guessed if given the chance, the hyperactive teen would actually fight the royal army. Which to any person from Edolas knew all too well was suicidal.

Juvia shrugged. "There's probably more to this guy than meets the eye, and Juvia wants to see it."

* * *

 **Louen...**

A cloaked man walked through the town of Louen. He seemed to be looking for something.

"Well, looks like I'm stuck in this place now. Better get started." The man muttered under his breath and set out to find some answers. But before he had the chance to ask the people of the town his questions, he sensed a presence behind him. It was a presence he had come to hate, loath even. But he could not outrun this presence no matter how far he ran.

"Gajeel! Why the hell do you keep disappearing like that!?"

Gajeel groaned and took off his hood before turning around just in time to see Tenten jump down from the rooftops. "Because I don't wanna have anything to do with you! So, go somewhere else!"

Tenten growled in frustration. This again? The whole time they'd been in this apparent parallel dimension, Gajeel had been trying to get rid of her. He was always ranting about how much he hated ninjas and that the only one he acknowledged was Naruto. Just what did Naruto do to make this guy hate ninjas so much?

"What's your problem? If we're gonna get out of here, we're going have to work together! Why do you have to be so difficult!?"

'Tch! Annoying woman... Whatever, I'll just put up with her until we find a way to turn everyone back.' Gajeel thought and turned around towards the streets of the town. "I was going to get some information until you interrupted me. Don't slow me down."

Tenten nodded and followed the dragon slayer. 'Finally... Man this guy really pisses me off! But I have no idea where everyone else is so I'm just gonna have to put up with him for now.'

Gajeel and Tenten were in the middle of Magnolia when the Anima hit. With Gajeel being a dragon slayer and Tenten having no magic in her, the two had been unaffected. After a couple minutes of wondering just what the hell had happened, a blue haired man named Mystogan had showed up and briefly explained what was going on before sending them here.

'I hope everyone else was okay...' Tenten thought as Gajeel asked the townspeople some questions, only every time he walked near someone they would just walk away without saying a word.

"Well this place sure is full of friendly people, ain't it?" Gajeel grumbled before he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

'I wonder if Erza-San was turned into lacrima as well.' Tenten thought with a frown. She didn't see her red headed friend after the Anima hit, so she assumed Erza had been sucked up as well.

"Wait, where's Gajeel?" Looking around for her temporary partner, she found Gajeel walking towards a couple of shady looking people. 'Oh great, he's picking a fight with gangsters...'

This was going to be a long trip, wasn't it?

* * *

 **Elsewhere In Louen...**

"Naruto? Juvia?"

Lucy had woken up in an alleyway by herself and had been wandering around the town looking for her friends since. "What the heck is going on here?" She couldn't believe that the whole town, including Fairy Tail, was sucked up by the Anima and turned into a giant lacrima crystal.

'I wonder where Naruto and Juvia are now. We were just with each other...' Lucy thought while taking a seat on a bench. She sat there for a while, wondering of the whereabouts of her friends as she watched people pass by. Why was she alone? They must have been transported to different places when Mystogan sent them here. It was the only reason she could think of.

Naruto was most likely fine, this was Naruto she was talking about. But Juvia... the poor girl was probably a wreck trying to find the shinobi.

* * *

"Surround the human!"

"Who does she think she is, invading Extalia like it' no one's business!?"

"Eh?" Juvia stood there dumbly as dozens of cats surrounded her, all armed with spears.

She had woken up in the middle of a town full of cats that looked like Happy and Carla and was completely lost. But when she had asked one of the cats where she was, they had called for guards and here she was.

"By the authority of the Queen Shagotte, you are under arrest for trespassing, human!" One of the cats said to her with a disgusted voice.

"Eh!?"

* * *

 **A/N: I decided that Naruto would be able to use his chakra in Edolas because, like a lot of you said in your reviews, makes sense. I apologize to those that wanted the opposite, but this gives me an excuse to have Naruto kick some major ass! XD**

 **Okay, about the pairing... Like I said in the past, and how the story is turning out right now, it's going to be a slow building harem. But I would like to clarify something. This does not mean that the story will end with Naruto getting a bunch of girls. For now, Naruto is ONLY being targeted by multiple women. I just think harem stories are hilarious because of the rivalry between the girls. I hope that clarifies what kind of harem I was talking about. :)**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S.**

 **Over 300 reviews! :D**


	27. A King Mad With Power

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/28/2017**

* * *

Lucy stared at the girl in front of her, who was stating right back at her. This girl's name was Lucy Ashley and they looked just like each other, even down to the way they did their hair. It was like she was staring in a mirror, only there was no mirror.

"This really is weird..."

"You're telling me."

She had run into her Edolas counterpart along with Natsu and the others while she was wondering aimlessly around the town.

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Some guards had appeared out of nowhere and were trying to restrain her, then Natsu showed up and they all fought, there was a tornado, and here they were.

It turned out there was another Fairy Tail in Edolas, only this one was a dark guild.

"I wonder how Juvia is going to react when she sees two Lucys." Natsu said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"How's Lucy going to react when she sees the other Juvia?" Happy added and the two buddies laughed.

"There's another Juvia here!?" Lucy cried out before slumping into her seat. One Juvia was enough of a handful, but two!?

"What's got you so down, me? Do you not get along with the Juvia in your world?" Lucy Ashley asked.

Lucy shook her head. "It's not that, it's... complicated."

"They're 'rivals in love'..." Natsu and Happy both chimed in unison and Wendy shushed them.

"Guys! You're not supposed to say stuff like that out loud!"

Edo-Lucy smirked as Lucy's blushed. "Oh~? I've been wondering for a while now, just what do you think of this Naruto guy?"

The celestial spirit mage shook her head in denial. "Wait a second! I don't-"

"You do." Natsu, Happy, and even Wendy all said with a flat look.

Lucy sighed in defeat, there was no use arguing anyway. 'Great, the guy I like is more clueless to love than Mr. burn everything, a cat, and a twelve-year-old girl...'

The Edolas mage snorted with laughter and smacked a hand on their table. "Hah! It is true! The other me really is in love! Though I guess I can see why."

Lucy felt like she was gonna to die from the embarrassment of being teased by herself, until she heard the last part. "Wait, what do you mean you understand?"

"From what Natsu and little Wendy had told me, this Naruto guy seems pretty reliable. Dependable, loyal, quite strong, and pretty good looking." Edo-Lucy said with a thoughtful look on her face. "Not that I'd fall for him or anything."

Lucy sent a somewhat scandalized look to Wendy whose face was steaming, and Natsu was pretending to sleep. 'What in the world did they tell her!?' She thought before looking over to Carla. The cat had been strangely silent.

Carla seemed to be in deep thought, but she eventually noticed the stare and shook her head. "I had no part in this."

That was... surprising, to say the least. Lucy had expected Carla to call Naruto a beast like she always did, or at least stop the two from over-glorifying the ninja.

"Now, if you're all finished with this nonsense, we have a guild to save." Carla added.

Wendy nodded in agreement. "Carla's right, we need to get to the royal city as soon as possible."

Edo-Lucy stood up and stretched. "We have been here awhile. It'd probably be best if we left now, don't want the royal army to spot us again."

Natsu shot up from his seat, taking on a defensive stance as if he was ready to fight. "Rune knights!?"

"I guess you're not so different from our Natsu after all…"

"Shouldn't we wait for Naruto? I mean, you said he was probably going to come here right? So we should wait for him till he gets here." Lucy called out to them but they just kept walking.

"Naruto's fast, he'll catch up with us eventually. Now come on, let's go to the capital!" Natsu said and waved her off.

Lucy still thought it would be better to wait for their strongest member, but she figured they'd be fine as long as he caught up with them. "I guess you're right, and don't worry! I'll protect you all with my magic!" boasted while puffing out her chest proudly.

Wendy sweatdropped. 'Lucy-San sure seems to be enjoying this situation...'

* * *

It had been a few days day since they had left the guild on their journey traveling together to the royal capital of Edolas. Naruto and the Edolas versions of Wendy and Juvia were just making their way past the town of Traia, and both girls had the same thought in their minds.

'Dense...' Was their thought as they walked behind Naruto. Weren't they supposed to be the ones leading?

During the past couple of days, they had both taken turns testing the shinobi and getting to know him. But what they had found out had taken both completely flatfooted.

Not only was he oblivious to the obvious feelings their counterparts had for him, but he was apparently living with the Earthland version of Lucy! From what they could tell, Naruto was genuinely a nice guy. But how in world could someone be so dense!?

'I still can't believe Erza is the enemy in this world...' Naruto thought to himself. He had been told about Erza Knightwalker during their travels and it had really surprised him. The Erza he knew cherished her comrades more than she did herself, the thought of an evil Erza was unnerving.

"Hey." Naruto suddenly said and looked back. "I've been wondering for a while now, but do either of you know a guy named Mystogan?"

They both shook their heads.

"Juvia has never heard of one named Mystogan."

"Neither have I. Why do you ask?"

Naruto shrugged. "If you don't know then that's fine, I was just wondering since he was from here."

They both hummed as they thought of this Mystogan fellow. Why did they get the feeling they should know who that was?

Naruto turned around and started walking backwards so he could face them while talking, his arms behind his head. "How much more until we get to the royal city?"

Edo-Juvia let out an irritated sigh. "As Juvia has said before, not for a while. We still have at least a day and a half's worth of walking." As nice as the blond was, his impatience and always on the go personality slightly irked her.

"To be fair, we were on the other side of the continent." Edo-Wendy added.

Naruto groaned for the umpteenth time in the duration of their trip. "Which is why I said it would have been faster if I just carried you guys. Natsu and the others are probably already there by now."

"As Juvia has said before, and Juvia will say it again, you can't just carry girls around like that!" Honestly, this boy had no sensitivity.

Naruto went back to walking forward and pouted. "But we'd get there faster..."

Edo-Wendy walked up to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel, but you have to understand that girls are sensitive and being carried is really embarrassing for us." She had found out that if you wanted to get through to this guy, you had to be VERY direct with him.

Naruto blinked. Being carried was embarrassing? He had always thought that people didn't like being carried because of a pride thing. "You're right, my bad." He apologized before folding his arms behind his head again. "You know, the Wendy-Chan I know is just a cute little kid, but you're weirdly mature."

"Thank you...?" Edo-Wendy said and smiled awkwardly, unsure whether that was a complement or not. She then shot Edo-Juvia a glare when she noticed the girl snickering.

"Hey, is that lacrima up there?" Naruto asked and pointed up towards something in the sky.

Looking to where he was pointing, the Edolas mages gaped when they laid their eyes on one of the biggest lacrima crystals they had ever seen.

"That's one giant lacrima..."

Naruto frowned, so that's where everyone from Magnolia was. "This means we're getting close, right?"

"Yeah, the royal city should be just beyond that mountain."

"Alright! Let's pick up the pace then!" Naruto said before he kicked off the ground and started running.

"Hey! Don't leave us behind, slow down!" Edo-Juvia yelled before chasing after the teen.

Edo-Wendy sighed to herself before smiling. 'He really is just like a kid, no wonder lil me likes him.'

* * *

After about another day's worth of travel, Naruto and co had finally made it to the royal city of Edolas.

"That's a big city." Naruto said in awe as they gazed down at the capital from on top of a nearby cliff. Konoha couldn't hold a candle in comparison to this place.

The city was circular and was surrounded by walls. At the middle, there was an enormous tower which Naruto assumed was the king's palace.

"So, we're here now. What's the plan?" Edo-Wendy asked. She was curious as to what the blonde was going to do now that he made to the city.

Pointing to the skyscraper, Naruto grinned. "That's the plan!" He said and was about to jump off the cliff, but both girls held him in place.

But it wasn't because they thought he was going fall to his doom.

"Are you stupid!? You're strong, but no one can stand up to the king's army head on!" Edo-Juvia yelled, causing Naruto to flinch at the harshness of her voice. He just couldn't get used to seeing such a mean look on Juvia's face.

Edo-Wendy sighed, having half-expected the boy to want to charge right in. "How about we focus on getting into the city first."

* * *

 **Meanwhile In Exalia...**

Juvia was "trapped" in in a dungeon, awaiting the Exceed queen's decision regarding her fate. She could easily turn her body into water and escape, but figured it was probably best to wait and gain as much information as she could before doing anything.

Juvia sighed. She wondered what Naruto was doing at that very moment, and if he too had come to this world by himself.

As Juvia silently thought to herself, she could hear two cat guards talking to each other down the hall of her cell.

"Hey, did you hear? The humans got their hands on a massive lacrima."

"Did they? I pity them for not having unlimited magic like us."

"I know right? But rumor has it the queen might want to go down and take some of the magic to limit how much they have. So the humans don't get any funny ideas. Good thing the human capital is right below us so we can just fly down there in no time at all."

"Yeah, we need to make sure those humans know their place!"

Juvia frowned as the cats laughed and continued to speak ill about humans. So far she had learned that the cat's, which she learned were actually called Exceeds, thought of themselves as gods to the humans since the people of this world didn't have magic inside them like the mages in Earthland did.

It was good to know that the human capital was right below her. Knowing Naruto, he was probably already there trying to find a way to turn their friends back.

'Then it's settled! Juvia will break out tonight!' She thought before a sudden chill went down her spine, she could sense that Naruto was in distress. 'Oh no! Naruto-Sama is in trouble!'

What horrors could her beloved be going through?

 **Juvia's Imagination…**

"Man, Juvia sure is great isn't she?" Naruto said with love in his voice.

"God! Can you be any more annoying!?" Lucy asked in a stereotypical evil voice.

"Forgive me mistress!" Naruto whimpered as he bowed deeply.

"That is my good pet" Lucy said and smiled evilly before laughing.

"Please save me Juvia!" Naruto pleaded to the sky.

"Don't worry Naruto-Sama! Juvia will save you!" Juvia yelled as she stood up, unconsciously breaking out of the chains. She then noticed the two guards looking at her with surprised looks on their faces, having walked by her cell just in time to witness her actions.

"..."

"..."

"The human has escaped!" One of the guards finally yelled and ran off while the other stayed and frantically brought their spear forward.

Juvia had an awkward smile on her face, this isn't what she had planned. She then shrugged and walked through the bars, surprising the Exceed even further as the parts of her body that touched the cold metal turned into water. 'It's probably for the best that Juvia leaves as quickly as possible.'

"F-f-f-freeze!" The guard stuttered while threatening to poke her with his weapon.

Juvia looked down at the frightened cat and smiled. "Sorry little kitty, but Juvia must go and save her beloved from the evil clutches of a witch." She cheerfully said and cut the spear in two with a water blade.

"Eep!" The guard yelped and fell back on the ground, his weapon now destroyed. 'T-this human is crazy!'

With the small threat now gone, Juvia turned on her heel and began to make her way towards the exit. 'Hang in there Naruto-Sama, Juvia is coming!'

* * *

"We need to play this smart. I say we sneak in, find your friends, and then come up with a plan." Edo-Wendy said and Naruto hung his head low in defeat.

"Fine..."

Sneaking into the city was a cake-walk. With Naruto's stealth skills and the girl's knowledge on the location, they were able to sneak in undetected.

"You know, for as loud and colorful as you are, you're surprisingly good at stealth." Edo-Wendy said as they walked through the streets of the castle town.

Naruto rubbed his nose and snickered at the complement. "Well I am a ninja, even if I don't act it half the time." He said before taking a look around the lively place that was the royal city. "This place sure is different from the other towns though."

The streets were even lit during the day, and varies items that were powered by magic could be seen everywhere. Everything was so bright and full of life. At first glance, you wouldn't even think that magic was limited here.

"Yes. After the king made a monopoly on all things magic, they took it all and used it to glorify the capital."

Naruto looked at the two mages and saw that they both had sour looks on their faces, and it wasn't hard to guess why. After all, it was the reason their guild was forced to work underground in the first place. To see the capital wasting so much magic just to show their superiority was frustrating.

It really made Naruto sick. What kind of leader selfishly hogged everything for himself and a few selected others, leaving the rest of the world to struggle just to survive? That wasn't the kind of leader Naruto grew up admiring. To him, a true leader was naturally someone who put before others before themselves.

"When I see that stupid dictator, I'm gonna kick his ass and teach him how a real leader should act!" Naruto declared and Edo-Juvia smacked upside the head. "Hey! What was that for!?"

"You can't, and won't attack the king. That would be suicide."

"Yeah yeah..." Naruto grumbled before they turned a corner and noticed a building sized lacrima crystal in the middle of a plaza. It was surrounded by a large crowd of people so something must have been going on.

"That's probably from the lacrima your friends were turned into." Edo-Wendy said before Naruto bolted towards the crowd. "Wha-Wait you idiot!"

"Juvia is gonna to knock some sense into that fool!" Edo-Juvia said as the two chased after him.

Naruto ran into the crowd and began pushing his way through, ignoring the shouts and complaints of the people he bumped into. 'Don't worry guys, I'll get you out!'

He had just about gotten to the front of the crowd when they all started cheering as a loud voice suddenly shouted out. This stopped Naruto in his tracks, because it was the king of Edolas.

An aged man was standing next to the lacrima, and he raised his hand for silence.

"Children of Edolas. Through the use of Anima, our sacred kingdom has produced ten years' worth of magic!" The king said before he started ranting, the people's cheers growing louder as he spoke.

'This is the king of Edolas? This geezer is crazy!' A right to shared ownership to the magic in Earthland? No one will steal "their" magic? They stole it to begin with! Not to mention that lacrima was made of his friends and the innocent people of Magnolia!

Naruto flinched when the man smacked the lacrima and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"We shall have enough magic to make this look like trash!"

Seeing the lacrima crack a little, something in Naruto snapped. The thought of his friends being turned into magic had been slowly eating at him this whole time. But the way this man spoke, it was as if taking the lives of innocent people for his own selfish needs didn't so much as faze him. In fact, it seemed natural to the king.

And for what? So they can have a couple more years' worth of magic? Would they just steal more lives from Earthland so they could have more magic that they wouldn't even share with the rest of the world?

Faust laughed like a maniac as his people cheered for him. This was the first step to unlimited magic, to his supreme rule. He would have that magic no matter what the cost, for he was a king, and it is the king's right to take everything for himself!

"So you would sacrifice people for your own selfish needs? Some king you are!"

"What?" Faust peered around the crowd for the source of the voice and looked up just in time to see a teenage boy fall from the sky and punch him in the face. He fell back against the lacrima with a thud, his face twisted with confusion and anger.

The crowd gaped and was now dead silent, not a sound could be heard. Their king was just attacked, but by who?

"Damnit... We were too late." Edo-Juvia hissed as she and Edo-Wendy had just gotten to where Naruto had been standing just mere seconds ago.

"He actually did it... He actually punched the king." Edo-Wendy gawked. She had honesty doubted that Naruto would actually do it, even if he did seem crazy enough. Now what was going to happen?

Naruto grinned as he looked at his fist, that punch felt good. He then frowned and pointed at the still stunned king. "Hey geezer! You better turn my friends back to normal or you'll be getting a lot more than a bruised chin!"

But Faust wasn't listening, there was too many things going through the man's mind. 'He dared to lay a hand on me!? The king!? Death! Punishment by death! He will...' His thoughts trailed off when he noticed something all too familiar. 'That's... The Fairy Tail insignia!'

On the boy's hand, was the mark of the last mage guild in Edolas. So they were out to get him now were they?

The guards were so stunned from what had happened that it took them a couple seconds to recover.

The crowd was in a similar state, but they were all brought back to reality when Faust started yelling again.

"It's Fairy Tail! They want to take the magic for themselves so they're after my life! Guards! Kill him!"

At the mentioning of the dark guild, the crowd began to panic as they scrambled their way out of the plaza.

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the tattoo on his hand. 'Shoot! I forgot about my guild mark… Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...' Naruto thought as the guards started scrounging him. Now they thought this world's Fairy Tail was after the king's life. 'I'm so gonna get chewed out by Edo-Juvia…'

"Naruto!"

Looking back into the crowd, Naruto noticed his two traveling companions as well as... was that Lucy and the others? "Hey guys!"

"Get down here! We need to leave, like now!" Lucy yelled and they all started backing out with the now scattering citizens.

That sounded good to him, but there was a slight problem. The civilians had all started evacuating from the area, and were being replaced by soldiers. A lot of them.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to bulldoze my through." That said, Naruto jumped over the guards in front of him, surprising them with the feat, and started running towards the area his friends had gone.

"Stop him!" A guard yelled and a group of soldiers lined up in front of him.

Naruto didn't stop and surged forward, rearing back a fist and prepared to plow his way through their line of defense. "Out of my way!"

The soldier that he was about to punch raised up his shield and it started to glow blue, an energy field now covering it.

Naruto's fist collided with the thing but to his surprise, nothing happened. "Eh?"

The guard took advantage of the boy's surprised state and jabbed at him with his double-edged spear, and the blade cut deep into the teen's stomach. But it was the guard's turn to be surprised for when the blade made contact, the teen exploded into a cloud of smoke. "What the-!"

The guards stared at the smoke and tried to figure out what had happened when they heard laughter from behind them.

"So long suckers!" Naruto yelled back at them as he fled, sticking out his tongue for added effect.

Now it was time to finally meet up with his friends. Though now that he thought about it, Lucy was going to kill him for this.

* * *

Boy was Naruto right, never had he seen Lucy so angry. Even when she had found out he secretly read one of the books she was writing, it couldn't hold a candle to how angry she was.

But it didn't stop there. Both Edo-Wendy and Juvia had given him an earful, the latter being the harshest of all three as she was still scolding him. What was with this world's Juvia and her being so harsh?

Speaking of the water mage, it turned out their Juvia hadn't been with Lucy's group either. Naruto hoped the girl was okay. He knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he couldn't help but worry about her.

"Listen when Juvia is talking!" Edo-Juvia snapped and karate chopped Naruto in the head, earning a yelp from the teen.

"Y-yes ma'am! Sorry!"

After Naruto met up with the group, they had gone to a safe house in the city where Fairy Tail members would go during missions that involved being in the capital. It was under a shop and its owner was an ally of the guild.

"Poor Naruto-San..." Wendy said as Naruto continued to take his punishment. Edo-Juvia had him in a seiza style position in the middle of the room as she scolded him.

Lucy huffed. "What was he thinking, attacking the king of a country like that?"

"That bastard had it coming..." Natsu said. He would have done it himself had Lucy and Wendy not stopped him.

"With what happened, they'll probably have more security around the city. It will be harder for you guys to move around freely." Edo-Wendy said and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, what do you mean by "you guys"? You're not coming with us?"

The older girl nodded. "Sorry, but this has gotten a little too big for us. I just came along because I found that guy interesting." Edo-Wendy said while pointing to the cowering jinchuuriki. "We never planned on fighting from the start."

Lucy frowned, but she understood why they didn't want to fight. It was just like her other self, and because of Naruto, their guild became even more notorious. "It's okay, we understand. Thanks for helping Naruto get here."

Edo-Wendy nodded and got her fellow guild member before the two began to walk to the exit. "Oh yeah, one more thing." She said before turning to Wendy. "Don't lose, little me."

Wendy blushed, and turned a darker shade of red when her older self winked at her.

Lucy looked between the two in confusion. Did she miss something?

"Listen Naruto, you better be nice to Juvia!" Edo-Juvia said.

"Of course I will!" Naruto said and grinned, completely missing what the girl was implying. "Thanks for helping me, tell the others at the guild I said hi."

This brought a slight frown to the two girl's faces, but they said their farewells and left. It wasn't like they didn't want to help them, it was quite the opposite really. This was just a fight that they couldn't involve themselves in.

"I think I'm gonna miss that guy. He was a bit of a knucklehead, but he was fun to be around." Edo-Wendy said as they left the store.

"Juvia still doesn't see what the other Juvia sees in him." Edo-Juvia said with the shake of her head, causing her companion to giggle.

Back inside the shop's secret basement, Naruto turned back to his friends.

"So, what's the plan guys?"

"Now that we can't move around freely, thanks to a certain reckless beast, we're gonna have to sneak into the castle." Carla said as she scribbled on a piece of paper, causing the ninja to smile bitterly.

"What do we need to go in the castle for? We need to turn everyone back to normal."

Calra sighed. "And how do you propose we do that? We'll sneak into the castle and ask the king himself."

"After what Naruto-San did, I don't think he'll just tell us." Wendy said and Naruto hung his head loosely.

"Sorry about that..."

"Actually, I think this could work." Lucy suddenly said and all eyes turned on her.

"Really? How?"

The celestial spirit mage grinned as she took out one of her magic keys. "With Gemini!"

"Gemini? Isn't that one of the spirits you got after we beat the Oración Seis?" Naruto asked and the girl nodded.

"Yup! With Gemini, we can have them transform into the king and get any information we need from him. All we need to do is get close enough to the king so Gemini can touch him."

"Oh!"

"Nice one Lucy!"

"All in a days work for Fairy Tail's strongest(temporarily) mage!" Lucy boasted with pride, and the group sweatdropped.

"Wait, Naruto still has his chakra doesn't he? Doesn't that make Naruto the strongest right now?" Happy said and Naruto blinked in realization.

With old man Makarov and Gildarts trapped in the crystal, that meant he was the strongest mage in Fairy Tail!

Lucy fell on her knees in defeat, a rain cloud forming over her head. "That's right... I forgot about that..."

"Oh, she's really bothered by it." Natsu said as Naruto tried to cheer the girl up.

"How are we going to get into the castle?" Wendy asked since there was probably going to be a lot of guards with it being a royal castle and all.

"There is a way." Carla said and raised the paper that she was doodling on to reveal a map. "There's a secret tunnel that leads straight to the castle."

* * *

Gajeel peered down at the plaza where the giant lacrima chunk was being held. "That idiot, doin whatever the hell he wants. Now they have twice the amount of security."

"I think we should go and meet up with Naruto. We'd be better off in numbers." Tenten suggested but her response was a grunt.

"Go ahead if you want, I'm gonna wait here for the other me to get back."

Apparently, there was another Gajeel in this world and they had run into him while searching for information on the lacrima.

"Are you really going to destroy it?"

"It's what that Mystogan guy said to do isn't it? I don't really trust the guy but it's all we have to go by. We're just gonna have to wait for the right moment, unless you have a better idea."

At first their plan was to wait for the right moment and then destroy the lacrima. But after that whole fiasco Naruto had caused, they were forced to wait.

"Geez, I get it. We'll just wait till the other you comes back and make another plan." Tenten said with a sigh. Naruto would be alright, he was strong enough to take care of himself and it wasn't like he was alone anyway. Besides, someone had to make sure Gajeel didn't cause too much trouble.

* * *

Faust sat in his throne, glowering at the door as if it had offended him. His chin throbbed where that accursed child had struck him, but that did not matter. What mattered was that he wanted the boy's head brought to him on a silver platter and that blasted guild destroyed!

Two cloaked men walked into the room and stopped a couple feet from the throne, but far enough to keep most of their features covered by the shadows of the room. They were mercenaries that had shown up at his door a few weeks prior, and proved to be very useful for jobs such as the one he was about to give them.

One of them was tall and had a rather large sword on his back, which was usually very common considering the way magic was used in Edolas. But what made this man's weapon unique was that it was covered with bandages.

The other person was a good deal shorter, maybe a full foot shorter than the first man. He too had a sword on his back, but it was smaller and was kept leaning to the side.

"Bring me the boy from Fairy Tail, kill anyone who gets in your way." Faust commanded. The two nodded and were about to leave when the king spoke again. "Erza Knightwalker will aid you in your search."

Responding to the summon, Erza Knightwalker walked into the room and bowed. She had not only failed to destroy Fairy Tail the other day, but she had also been in another place when the mage from that despicable guild assaulted her king. She would not fail again. "I will finish off Fairy Tail once and for all."

The taller mercenary chuckled, revealing his razor-sharp teeth. "What? Do you not trust us?"

The knight frowned. "When it comes to hunting down Fairy Tail, I have the most experience. For I am the one called Fairy Hunter."

The shorter mercenary grunted. "Which is why they're all still alive, isn't it?"

Erza growled menacingly, her pride having taken a heavy blow. "You insolent little-"

"Silence!" Faust yelled and the captain immediately obeyed. "We cannot begin the lacrima extraction with Fairy Tail lurking around. It's time we put an end to the guild once and for all. Do not fail me."

"Yes, your majesty!" Erza Knightwalker said and saluted her king, but not before glaring at the mercenary that had insulted her once more. She did not trust these people. They knew nothing about them or where they had come from, and the unknown was dangerous. 'I must keep a close eye on these two.'

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter is gonna be a big one. :)**


	28. Fateful Reunion

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/28/2017**

* * *

Naruto found himself walking through the dark tunnels of an abandoned mine beneath the royal city of Edolas, which supposedly led straight to the king's palace. Carla had miraculously drawn a map of the place, claiming that the information was slowly seeping its way to her head due to her status as an Exceed. Though the same didn't seem to apply to Happy, as the little blue cat claimed to know nothing and seemed a bit ashamed of it.

"So is this why you knew why I was going to go to the Edolas Fairy Tail guild? Because of your weird Exceed knowledge thing." Naruto asked.

The cat answered after a couple seconds. "Sort of... It's hard to explain having this information randomly come to my mind." When they had first arrived in Edolas and found its version of Fairy Tail, Carla had seen a vision of Naruto walking around in the bar. She'd been getting these little "visions" for a while now.

"I still think it's amazing Carla! Now we'll be able to save everyone!" Wendy beamed at her friend before she noticed Naruto grinning at her, which caused the girl to blush a little from the attention. "What is it Naruto-San?"

Naruto shook his head while keeping the grin on his face. "It's nothing, sorry. I was just thinking that I really do prefer this Wendy."

Wendy's blush deepened. "W-why is that?"

"Because you're so adorable!" Naruto said and rubbed the little girl's head affectionately.

The wind dragon slayer cried internally, not quite having gotten the answer she wasn't looking for. 'It's not my fault I'm only twelve...'

"How dare you do that to a lady like Wendy!" Carla yelled and Naruto laughed.

Lucy watched at the scene with a deadpanned expression. 'Ah geez, he's done it again...' She had missed it earlier, but it looked like Wendy had developed a little crush on Naruto. Under normal circumstances, she would have thought it was cute. But Lucy couldn't shake off the feeling that the number of love rivals was growing. Great, she really was starting to think like Juvia. Must be from all the time she spent around the girl.

Natsu leaned over to Lucy and whispered to her. "Looks like you have another rival in love..."

"Better be careful, this one's a real cutie..." Happy chimed in from Natsu's shoulder. The little blue cat had seemed to be bit down by the fact that he wasn't getting the same information as Carla, but that didn't seem to stop him from teasing the celestial spirit mage.

Lucy growled in annoyance as she stomped forward, leaving the two laughing boys behind. She then looked at the large scroll on Naruto's back as she pulled up next to him. "I forgot to ask earlier, but what's that scroll for?"

Naruto pat the scroll with a hand and grinned. "Since we had to wait for night to come and I had a lot of time to kill, I went ahead and did some preparations." He then went and explained that it was a summoning scroll that would bring forth one of the four shadow clones that were collecting natural energy back at the safe house.

Naruto had found that he was able to go into the traditional sage mode just fine and that he had worried over nothing. While this dimension had more natural energy than the Elemental Nations, it was still nowhere near the amount that was in Earthland so it still took him a couple seconds to collect the right amount. He assumed it had something to do with the lack of magic in the air.

"That's pretty handy." Lucy said before shuddering. "But when you prepare like that, I can't help but worry that we're gonna get into a big fight."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine." Naruto said and turned towards Natsu and Happy. "By the way, you guys said you met this world's Lucy. What was she like?"

"Scary!" They both answered as the color in their faces completely drained, especially Natsu. He still had bruises from when the surprisingly strong girl all but strangled him out of 'affection'.

"Oh? Why do ask? Are you curious as to which Lucy is better looking?" Lucy teased with a wry smile and to her surprise, Naruto blushed.

"N-no, why would I be wondering that? I was just wondering what she was like since everyone here seems to be opposite." Naruto said before blinking. "Wait, opposite...?"

Lucy was still surprised at the fact that she made Naruto blush. This was a huge step! 'Now to push it even further!' Lucy thought before stopping and striking a pose that showed off her curves. "I guess that's true, you already know the answer to that question, don't you?"

"Hold on a second. If things here in Edolas is opposite to everything in Earthland, and this world's Gray is in love with this world's Juvia... Then that must mean our Juvia is in love with Gray!" Naruto deducted and everyone face-faulted.

'T-this guy... He exceeds all levels of thick-headedness!' Lucy thought while shaking an angry fist before she started weeping anime tears. Why did the guy she liked have to be so dense when it came to love!?

Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Wendy looking at her with a sad smile.

"It's okay Lucy-San, I'm sure he'll come to realize eventually."

'I don't want to be told that by a twelve-year-old...' Lucy thought as she continued to cry internally.

"Hey, you okay Lucy?" Naruto asked and held out a hand to the weeping girl.

'Naruto...' That's right, he may be dense but Naruto truly was a kind person. Lucy sighed and took the offered hand, allowing her fellow blond to help her up. She could focus on getting her love through to him later. For now, they had their friends to save.

"This is it." Carla said as they walked up to a blocked off passageway.

After a quick summoning of a certain perverted cow later and they were in. The entrance eventually led to a rather large cavern.

"I know we've already come this far, but I still think we should have snuck into the castle the traditional way." Naruto said with a shrug.

Lucy shook her head. "Not all of us can walk on walls you know."

"I could have carried you al-!" Naruto stopped mid-sentence when his instincts screamed at him. "Watch out!" He yelled and pushed Lucy back just as a strange gelatinous whip flew to the spot where she had been standing.

"Ambush-Mpf!" Natsu shouted before falling prey to another stream, his limbs and even his mouth were covered by the stuff.

Soldiers started appearing out of nowhere and they were quickly surrounded

"Kyah!"

"Wendy!" Naruto yelled as Wendy was caught. He was about to go and help her when a shuriken struck the ground in front of him, halting his movements.

"Long time no see, loser."

Naruto's eyes shot wide open. He knew that voice! 'It couldn't be...' Naruto thought and sure enough, past the soldiers stood his "best friend" Sasuke Uchiha. "S-Sasuke!?"

Lucy looked at the raven-haired teen in surprise. Naruto hadn't said much about Sasuke so she didn't know all that much about him, all she knew was that he was a part of Naruto's genin team when they were younger and that he had left the village for power.

"You know this Earthland magic-user?" Erza Knightwalker asked from her spot next to the Uchiha, but frowned when she got no answer.

"Not a very friendly one, are you Sasuke-San? Itachi-San was like that too, it must run in the family." Kisame said and Sasuke glared at him.

"Speak another word about Itachi, and I'll kill you."

Kisame merely grinned at the threat. "Scary."

'This is bad...!' Naruto thought when he noticed not only the Edolas version of Erza, but another Akatsuki member. They needed to get out of there, or at least out of this cave. But he just couldn't think straight as his eyes were glued to his past teammate.

Why was Sasuke here? How did he get here? These were the thoughts that were deluding Naruto's mind from thinking rationally.

"Naruto?" Lucy called out but her words fell onto deaf ears.

Edo-Erza pointed her spear at Naruto threateningly, daring him to so much as move. "Stand down. For assaulting his majesty, you're coming with us."

Naruto's eyes darted back and forth around the cavern. What should he do? They were surrounded and aside from himself, Lucy was the only person who could fight right now.

"Not going to fight? Smart boy. Take them away." The female captain said and the soldiers complied.

"Naruto-San! Charla!" Wendy screamed as she and the muffled Natsu were dragged away.

"Naruto! We need to do something, quick!" Lucy said as she grabbed her keys.

Erza Knightwalker smirked victoriously as her soldiers began to close in on the remaining two. "His majesty will be pleased when I-Gah!"

Everyone in the cavern stopped what they were doing when Erza staggered forward from being slashed in the back.

The girl glared bloody murder at her attacker. "Y-you dare!?"

"Sorry, but they're coming with us." Sasuke said as he wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it.

"You work for the king, and his orders are to..."

"You can tell your king that we quit." Sasuke cut her off and kicked the red head into a couple of soldiers.

'They must be after the dragon slayer's infinite magic!' Edo-Erza thought as her soldiers helped her up. "Take the dragon slayers and the Exceeds away at any costs!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Happy and Carla chased after Natsu and Wendy but were startled when they were suddenly scooped up by one of the soldiers and carried off.

Kisame chuckled and grabbed his trusted sword Samehada from his back. "Hasty as usual I see." The boy just had to go and blow their cover. But it wasn't so bad, he'd been itching for a fight anyway.

"Whatever, just take care of the rest." Sasuke said and charged at Naruto who's eyes were closed, and Kisame complied by engaging some of the soldiers, making short work of anyone who came across him.

"Naruto!" Lucy screamed as Sasuke's sword fell down upon the whiskered teen.

'I made it!' Naruto thought and opened his eyes to reveal the signs of a toad sage. He had taken advantage of the distraction to gather natural energy, and it paid off as he was now in sage mode.

Naruto stepped out of the way and quickly pulled out a kunai to block the incoming blade. "Lucy! Go after Wendy-Chan and the others!"

Lucy sighed a breath of relief before gaining a determined expression. "Leave it to me! Open! Gate of the Bull, Taurus!" She chanted and summoned the bull spirit once more. Guards tried to stop Lucy's advance towards her friends, but were quickly mowed down by giant cow-like spirit.

"Wasn't she your comrade, and why are you still working with the Akatsuki!?" Naruto asked as he continued to defend himself from the offending blade.

The Uchiha grunted. "No, we were only using these people to get information. Just like how I used the Akatsuki to get to you!" Sasuke roared as he jumped back and sheathed his sword. After a couple hand signs, he shot out a large fireball.

Naruto evaded the fire ball with ease but when he noticed the smirk on his rival's face, he realized that Sasuke hadn't even been aiming at him. "Lucy!"

Upon hearing her name, Lucy turned around and saw the giant ball of heat flying right at her.

"Lucy-San!" Taurus yelled and jumped in between the projectile and his master. The fireball exploded on impact, shaking the cavern and causing the spirit to disappear.

"Taurus! Hey, let me go!" With the giant bull now gone, Lucy was immediately subdued and the soldiers proceeded to carry her towards the exit of the cavern.

"Lucy!" Naruto yelled as plowed his way through some soldiers, their magic shields shattering like glass under the strength that came with sage mode. But he was cut off by Sasuke. "Damn it Sasuke! I can't believe I'm saying this right now, but I don't have time for you!" He could deal with his old team member later, right now he had to save Lucy and the others who were now out of his sight and likely out of the cave system by now.

Sasuke lunged forward again, his Sharingan flaring. "The last time we met, you were always ranting about bringing me back to the village. Does none of that matter to you anymore!?" He didn't really care, but it irked Sasuke that the blonde was acting like he didn't matter anymore.

"I will keep my promise to Sakura-Chan and bring you back, but saving my friends from Fairy Tail is my main priority right now, teme!" Naruto shot back and launched a senjutsu enhanced punch into Sasuke's face, sending him flying a couple feet and creating some distance between them.

"I can only assume that you're the strongest in this guild, so why are you wasting your time on them when you could be training? Did you forget about your stupid dream of becoming Hokage too?" Sasuke asked and Naruto looked down.

"I still love Kohoina and will eventually return there but these people treated like family despite not being a mage and never for a second flinched in fear when they learned I was a jinchuuriki… So I will save them for their countless kindness that I could never pay back, Sasuke!" Naruto said and opened his toad eyes with determination as the two clashed again.

Across the cavern, Kisame was casually taking out soldier after soldier when a heavy blade found its way onto his. "Hm? Weren't you going to go after my partner? You were pretty angry with him if I'm not mistaken." He asked as he effortlessly held Edo-Erza's oddly shaped weapon back with his own.

"I'll take care of him after I've dealt with you. Besides, your traitorous partner looks like he has his hands full." She said before frowning at the swordsman in front of her. 'He doesn't even seem to be using his full strength!'

"Big words for such a little mouse." Kisame said and chuckled as the girl struggled to push her blade down on his. 'Looks like I might actually get to have some fun after all.'

Bringing a hand bellow his weapon, Kisame smashed the sentient blade upward. The sheer force of the sudden move took the red-headed knight by surprise as her arms and weapon were thrown upward, leaving her torso vulnerable. Kisame then kicked the woman in the stomach, launching her into the cavern wall and knocking the wind out of her.

'T-this man has so much raw strength!' Edo-Erza thought as she gasped for breath, but she quickly stood up again. She wasn't the captain of the second magic war division for nothing. 'If I can't match this man in strength...' She thought as the edge of her spear glowed and shifted into a triangular tipped blade. 'I'll beat him in speed!'

With a new plan in mind, Knightwalker rushed forward in a burst of speed.

'Her weapon changed and now she's faster.' Kisame noted and lifted Samehada up to block an incoming slash and the two weapons collided.

After a few more attempts Edo-Erza growled in frustration as she found no openings in her opponent's defenses, even with her boost in speed. The spear glowed again and shifted into a red arrowhead-like blade.

'It changed again. What will it be this time?' Kisame thought as the knight raised the weapon above her head and yelled, bringing the spear down on the Akatsuki member with all her might.

" **Explosion!"**

As the name implied, a large tremor shook the cave as the two were consumed by a large explosion.

Edo-Erza landed on the ground a few feet back, sliding a bit till she stopped and fell on one knee. There was no way the man could have survived a direct hit from her explosion. "Better get out of this cavern soon, it won't hold for much longer." She said to herself and looked back at the explosion and saw a large cloud of steam. "What!?"

A figure walked out of the steam and was revealed to be Kisame with the same grin on his face, his large sword rested on his shoulder.

Edo-Erza noticed that some of the bandages covering the blade had been burned off from her explosion and could see what looked like blue scales sticking out of the uncovered spots.

A few of the soldiers that were left charged at the shark-man all at once to protect their captain, but he sent them all flying in different directions with a simple swing of the large blade.

A soldier ran up to the fallen captain. "Ma'am, they're too strong! What should we do?"

"...treat." She muttered, causing the soldier to lean in closer.

"Ma'am?"

"Retreat!" Erza Knightwalker shouted, her voice echoing through the cave. She didn't seem to be doing any damage to this man and couldn't imagine herself taking on the other mercenary, and then there was also the person she was ordered to capture. The king wasn't going to be happy, but retreating for now was her best option. 'Those bastards... I'll make them pay for humiliating me like this!'

"Y-yes ma'am!" The soldier said before helping his captain to her feet and towards the exit of the cavern.

Naruto heard the woman's call for retreat and saw the other guards begin to scramble out of the cavern. 'This is my chance!' He thought and pulled out a few smoke pellets and threw them all onto the ground.

Sasuke jumped back from the black plume of smoke and growled. "Oh no you don't!" His Sharingan scanned the area he looked around for Naruto's chakra. Since Naruto and Kisame were the only chakra users present, they stood out to him like a sore thumb. 'There!'

In the middle of a group of soldiers who were still scrambling out of the cavern, Sasuke could see one of them had a chakra system. Naruto had transformed into one of the soldiers to blend in and escape.

"Nice try loser, but you can't hide from my Sharingan!" Sasuke said and charged his left arm with chakra to form his signature move, the Chidori. His lightning covered hand went right through the back of the disguised Uzumaki, canceling the transformation to reveal that it was in fact Naruto.

 **Poof!**

Sasuke's eyes widened when Naruto exploded in a cloud of smoke. "A shadow clone, huh?" He looked around for any sign of the trickster but could only see a few straggling soldiers. 'Same old Naruto...'

"They're getting away." Kisame said as he walked up to his partner. "Now we're criminals here too."

"You let that woman get away."

The shark-like man shrugged. "I figured it didn't really care if she lived or not. Besides, she wasn't as much fun as I'd hoped."

Sasuke didn't respond and began to walk out of the cavern. It didn't matter if Naruto escaped, there was always next time. 'Naruto, with these eyes...' He thought as his eyes shifted to his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. 'I will kill you!'

* * *

 **The Next Morning...**

"Once the other me gives us the signal, we move." Gajeel said as he and Tenten walked passed the plaza holding the giant lacrima.

People were beginning to gather around as a large machine moved towards the crystal, it was probably what they used to extract the magic from it.

"Did he say what the signal was?" Tenten asked.

"No, but I don't think we have anything to worry about. It's me we're talking about." Gajeel said with a smirk and chuckled. "Just make sure you keep the guards off of me when I go to destroy the thing."

Tenten nodded before looking around. "I wonder if Naruto and the others are okay."

"He's got Juvia and Lucy, ain't nothing happening to him." Gajeel said and waved the girl off nonchalantly, not knowing that it was the Edolas version of the water mage that he had seen the day before.

"I guess. It's just that there are a lot more guards today than yesterday."

There were easily fifty soldiers guarding the north end of the lacrima, as to the twenty or so they had seen before. Naruto really made their job harder by punching the king in the face and because of that, the people here thought that this world's Fairy Tail was after the lacrima. Hence the increase in security.

Gajeel suddenly started walking again without saying anything.

"Hey! Don't just leave me behind! Where are you going?" Tenten asked irritably while catching up, this wasn't the first time Gajeel had walked off without telling her. They were partners right now weren't they? The least he could do was say something before going off and doing his own thing, right?

"I'm going to see if there are less people on the other side, I don't want the onlookers to get mixed up in the fight."

Tenten raised an eyebrow at that. "You're worried about the townspeople? That's surprisingly kind of you."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Gajeel barked and Tenten laughed while apologizing. "Jeez, I ain't some heartless monster."

"Yes, of course." Tenten said before smiling, this was a whole new side of Gajeel that she hadn't been expecting to see. He may be a little rough around the edges, but on the inside he actually cared about other people. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, it's annoying the hell out of me."

A tick-mark formed on Tenten's forehead as she gripped an angry fist. 'Nope, still a jerk...'

* * *

Lucy's eyes fluttered opened and as soon as the blurriness faded, she looked around to find she was in a prison cell. "Wha... Oh, that's right. We were ambushed..." Why were those soldiers there of all places? It was almost like they were waiting for them. "And why am I in this stupid thing!?" Lucy yelled when she realized that her head and arms were locked up in a stock. "Hey! Can anyone hear me!? Let me out of this thing!"

After a couple minutes of non-stop ranting, the two men standing guard in front of Lucy's cell sweatdropped.

"Hey, should we just switch her out with the magic restraining cuffs?" The guard on the left asked.

The other one nodded. "We probably should, otherwise she'll just keep whining." He then walked into the cell and took the girl out of the stock before cuffing her with a strange and sticky white substance.

"There, happy now?" The guard asked with a tired voice.

"I guess... But do I really need to be restrained like this stuff? It's not like I can escape on my own anyways." Lucy said and tried to separate her arms, but the sticky stuff kept them together like glue.

"Orders are orders, now could you do us all a favor and keep it down? All your yelling is starting to give me a headac-" The guard turned around when he heard a muffled voice from behind and saw a teenager with blond hair and a red coat lay his fellow guard on the ground. "Hey!"

Lucy's eyes instantly beamed knowing full-well who it was. "Naruto!"

Naruto gave her a slight grin before getting up and charging at the other guard. "Sorry about this!" He apologized ahead of time as he sidestepped the soldier's spear and then landing a swift chop to the neck, instantly knocking the second guard unconscious.

Lucy watched in awe as he put the man down on the ground. It just amazed her that the he could move that fast without the use of magic or chakra. "How did you find me?"

"This pace is like a maze! I was sneaking around looking for anyone when I heard your voice." Naruto said and Lucy sweatdropped.

The guards did only switch her out of those stocks because she had been pestering them with complaints. 'Was I really that loud?'

Lucy was pulled out of her thoughts when Naruto suddenly sat down.

"This is all my fault... If I didn't freeze up like I did when I saw Sasuke, none of this would have happened." Naruto said and hung his head loosely, he hated himself for not doing anything sooner. Even when his friends were being taken away, all he could do back then was just stare at his old friend.

"It couldn't be helped, I'd be shocked too if I saw my friend on the enemy team like that." Lucy said in an attempt to cheer him up. "I don't know much about Sasuke, but I know he's an important person to you."

"But even still, I hesitated and got you all captured."

Lucy knelt in front of him and smiled. "You rescued me, didn't you?"

Naruto felt his cheeks burn as he scratched the back of his head. "W-well yeah. No matter where you are, I'll always find you."

Lucy knew the words lacked the romantic meaning behind them, but that didn't stop her from turning bright red. "T-thanks..." She stuttered while pumping a mental fist at making the ninja blush again. "N-now get this stuff off my hands so we can save the others."

Naruto nodded before taking out a kunai and cutting the white stuff that was binding Lucy's hands together.

"What the- You!"

The two turned around to see Erza Knightwalker standing at the cell's entrance, glaring holes deep into Naruto's skull.

Naruto quickly got to his feet and used his kunai to redirect the red head's strange weapon to the ground and stepping on it to keep her from moving it. He gulped as the blade easily pierced the concrete. 'She's really trying to kill me!'

"By the name of my king, I won't let you get away this time!" The angered woman yelled as she struggled to pull her spear out of the ground, but winced when the injury on her back from the night before.

Lucy scrambled to her feet and pulled out one of her keys, she was about to summon Loke when Naruto yelled at her.

"Wait Lucy! I'll take care of things here, you go find out where they're keeping the others!"

"No! It's better if we stick together!" Lucy said and grinned, her key glowing as she activated her spirit magic. "Besides, we can just get the information from her, can't we?"

Naruto blinked, but he grinned back and nodded. How could he have been so stupid? Them separating is what got her captured in the first place. "Alright, let's do this!" He yelled and jumped over Edo-Erza and landed next to Lucy.

" **Open, gate of the lion! Loke!"** Lucy chanted and in a flash of golden light, Loke stood by her side.

"You made the right decision to choose me, Lucy. With the power of our love, I can do anything!" Loke declared before he noticed the person they were fighting. "W-why are you fighting Erza!? Do you have a death wish!?" He asked and began to sweat as he took an unconscious step back.

'Anything huh?' Lucy thought with a deadpanned expression before pointing at the woman in front of them. "That's not the our Erza! We need to beat her and find out where the others are."

"Ah, that's right. I almost forgot." Loke said and laughed. "Sorry about that Lucy, that probably wasn't very cool of me just now was it?"

"Who cares! Let's just hurry up and get the information from her!" Naruto fumed.

Loke struck a cool guy pose and shook his head. "Always in such a hurry, you'll never win over Lucy's heart from me like that."

Naruto sent the spirit a deadpanned expression while Lucy turned bright red and began to sputter out nonsense.

Erza Knightwalker, having pulled her weapon out of the ground for a good amount of time already, stared at the people in front of her in disbelief. Here she was, an enemy, standing in front of them with a weapon in hand ready to slaughter them and they were acting like it was a normal day. Were all mages from Earthland like this?

Deciding enough was enough, the Edolas mage roared and charged at the three fools.

* * *

The fight was over in a few minutes. With the Edolas version Erza already being injured and not quite fully recovered, and her being outnumbered three to one, victory wasn't exactly in her favor.

The captain was now tied up in front of the two partners, Loke having gone back to the spirit realm since the fight was now over.

"So, you gonna tell us where Natsu and Wendy-Chan are?" Naruto asked, not that he was expecting anything.

"You'll never get a word out of me." Edo-Erza spat.

Lucy frowned. Their faces and even their voices were the same, it was crazy to think this wasn't the Erza they knew. "Alright Gemini, do your thing."

"Okay, here we go! Piri piri~!" The two little spirits chimed as they floated over to their target.

"What is this?" Edo-Erza demanded when they both touched her head. Her question was quickly answered when the two spirits began to glow, their forms merging into one and taking the shape of a human. "What!?" Her eyes widened in disbelief when they transformed into the spitting image of herself.

"Now, where are they keeping Natsu and Wendy?" Lucy asked and Gemini turned to their summoner.

"In the basement of the west tower." The transformed spirits said in a dark tone.

Naruto shivered at the coldness in Gemini's voice. Did they have to talk like someone pissed her off?

"Sweet! Thanks Gemini!" Lucy cheered and Gemini nodded before changing back to their original forms and disappearing. "Okay, we got their location so let's go! Sorry Erza!" Lucy said and took off to look for the west tower.

Naruto glanced back at the still bewildered red head. "Sorry about that, we just want to save our friends."

The surprised look instantly disappeared and the knight went back to glaring at the blond. "Mark my words, when I get out of these bindings I will make sure you and your friends have a slow and painful death."

This put a frown on Naruto's face, but he kept silent and ran after Lucy. The Erza he knew would never say those words, but he had to remember this wasn't the same person. Erza Knightwalker was responsible for the murder of countless Fairy Tail members in this world and that was the sad truth.

After a couple minutes, Naruto and Lucy were running along the side of the tower. They were looking for the west tower so Naruto could jump them over if it wasn't too far.

"I think that's it." Lucy said and pointed to a tower across from the one they were standing on.

"Alright hop on, I'll jump us across." Naruto said and Lucy nodded with a growing blush. But before the girl could hop onto his back, they heard a familiar voice.

"Naruto-Sama~!"

"Eh?" Naruto and Lucy both said and saw Juvia being carried by Happy with Carla flying towards them. The water mage was crying a river, literally. The water fell to the ground below, which started a riot from the soldiers who were unlucky enough to get splashed.

"Juvia! You're dropping water on the soldiers down below! Now they know we're here!" Happy shouted as he struggled to carry the flopping woman."

"Juvia has finally found Naruto-Sama! Now she can save him from the evil witch!" Juvia shouted with glee.

'Witch?' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop. What kind of fantasies was that girl having while she was by herself?

"Halt!" They heard from their left and found a group of soldiers led by the giant of a cat running towards them with angry looks on their faces. It seemed that they were discovered.

Naruto and Lucy looked at each other and gulped. Things were about to get ugly.

* * *

 **A/N: Just want to give a shout out to my beta redlox2 for all the awesome help!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it. XD**

 **Though I do apologize for the slight delay. I'm trying to update at least one once a week, but I just recently picked up a little game called Overwatch so...**

 **But anyways, review or P.M. me to tell me what you thought of the chapter or the story in general! I really do enjoy the conversations I have with you guys. :D**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	29. Group Up

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/28/2017**

* * *

 **Earthland...**

"It's been a few days now, and there has been no sign of change." Yamato said while looking up at the cloudy sky. The Konoha ninja that had been left behind were spread out in the camp they had made in the forest that just outside of where Magnolia used to be.

"It seems so..." Kakashi said and placed a hand on his sore left eye. "I wish I could have picked up more with my Sharingan, but the light was just too much."

When the town disappeared, Kakashi had used his Sharingan to analyze the vortex in the sky. But he had been blinded by the same brightness that Hinata had experienced with her Byakugan.

"It is most unfortunate that we cannot help Naruto-Kun and the others." Rock Lee said with a deep frown on his face. He was also worried about the well-being of Tenten as well as his new comrade Elfman. "Surely they are in dire need of our assistance."

Sakura was also frowning, frustrated at their helplessness right now. They were clueless to the cause of what was going on, and they couldn't even do anything to help. "It's almost like we're back to square one and Naruto's back on his own again."

"Naruto-Kun will be fine." Hinata said calmly, she was sitting against a tree while hugging her legs. "I think we should believe in Naruto-Kun. Whatever it is they're going through, he'll pull through."

"Hinata..." Sakura said, surprised to see the quiet girl speak up. But she was right, they had to believe that Naruto and the others would come back. That's all they could do for them.

"It's not like he's not alone either." Kakashi said and looked at Sakura. "He has the mages with him, and I think you of all people know that they're no pushovers."

Sakura grunted at her teacher referencing her fight with a certain blue haired mage. 'That girl better be keeping her hands to herself.'

Yamato suddenly went on alert. "Senpai..."

Kakashi nodded, he could sense it too.

There was a chakra signature nearby, and a large one at that.

"Is it the Akat-Mmf!?" Lee shouted but someone immediately put a hand over his mouth.

"Quiet you idiot!" Sakura whispered harshly.

"Hinata." Kakashi said and the Hyūga nodded.

"Right." The girl said before activating her Byakugan and scanning the area. After some practice, Hinata had gotten used to the constant light that was Ethernano. But it left her vision a lot brighter than in the Elemental Nations. "There's a man by where the town was, and he's alone."

"Alright, let's move out." Kakashi ordered and the group took to the trees.

"What is the Akatsuki doing here now?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"They're probably investigating what happened to the town. I think it's safe to say that they knew Naruto was here all along." Kakashi said grimly.

"Since they're alone, we might be able to get some information out of them." Yamato said as they neared the end of the forest.

They jumped down from the trees and landed onto the ground without making the slightest bit of noise. They all hid in varies places, all keeping themselves hidden as they tried to get a look at the supposed Akatsuki member.

In the distance, just outside of the forest they were hiding in, a man could be seen walking around the barren landscape. He seemed to be mumbling to himself.

'That's strange... He's not wearing the Akatsuki cloak.' Kakashi thought to himself and put his hand up, signaling for the others to prepare to attack. 'I still can't use my left eye, but we should still be fine.'

"Damn... What's up with this place, ain't no one here~! I know I'm in the right town, did it disappear!?"

'Great, another weirdo.' Sakura thought and Kakashi made the signal.

Five blurs burst out from the forest and rushed towards the lone man in an organized assault.

Yamato weaved through a couple hand signs and placed his hands on the ground. Wood sprouted out of the ground in streams and they moved towards the man to strangle him.

"Hm!" Faster than the eye could see, their mystery man turned around and cut through the logs with relative ease.

'I didn't even see him unsheathe his sword!' Kakashi thought before eye went wide. "Wait!" He called out to everyone and jumped back, the rest jumped back as well.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi stared at the shinobi in front of him, or more specifically, the man's headband. The symbol wasn't crossed out like the Akatsuki members usually had, and it was the symbol for the hidden cloud. "You aren't a member of the Akatsuki. Who are you?"

The tall man let out a sigh before sheathing his sword. "Attackin me like that, you should be ashamed~! The name is Killer Bee, the one true and famed~!"

'I knew it...' Kakashi thought and bowed, surprising everyone. "We are terribly sorry for attacking you, Bee-Dono. Everyone believes that you are dead."

Killer Bee shook his head. "Calling me dead, uncool! I'm well and alive, ya fool!"

* * *

 **Edolas...**

Enemies were coming at them in all directions, a route of escape was completely out of the question.

At the same time, Happy and Carla flew up to the tower and Juvia was dropped down next to him, who immediately embraced Naruto in a bone-crushing embrace.

"Juvia was so worried!" Juvia cried as she squeezed the life out of her beloved.

"Juvia is harder to carry than Lucy, but it isn't because of weight." Happy complained and Lucy shot him a quick glare.

"I'm glad you're okay Juvia... But we got a bit of a situation on our hands here." Naruto said and the girl let him go, a slight blush on his face from the contact.

"What should we do? We're not going to be able to get to Natsu and Wendy without a fight." Lucy said and Naruto pointed towards the tower across from them.

"Let's just hurry and get into the other tower."

So long as they got to the dragon slayers, they could always just fight their way out. With Juvia now here, Naruto felt that they would be able to handle anything these people threw at them.

Everyone nodded in agreement when they heard a series of shouts, and they were coming from the sky.

"We've found you! Fallen!" A cat that looked disturbingly similar to Ichiya shouted.

Happy's face grew pale. "They followed us!"

"Great, there's an army of cats after us too?" Naruto groaned before yet another shout was heard from down below.

This time it was the king of Edolas who called out an order to the soldiers in the court yard. Flags began to sprout up from all around the castle walls as soldiers began to set up a couple of what looked to be canons on the walls.

"What are they doing?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"It doesn't matter what they're doing! Let's hurry into the building while they're distracted!" Carla said and picked Lucy up off the ground. Happy picked Juvia up again and they began to fly towards the west tower.

Naruto was about to follow them when a blinding light flashed into the sky, forcing him and everyone else to stop in their tracks. After the light stopped, he saw a giant cat-shaped crystal fall to the ground with a loud thud. Did they just turn the Exceed into lacrima?

Shaking his head, Naruto leaped across to the other tower and landed on the balcony where his friends were waiting for him.

* * *

"So where have you been this entire time?" Naruto asked as they descended the tower.

"It was a nightmare!" Juvia balled as she then explained to the group of her adventures during the past few days, while completely over-exaggerating in some parts. Mainly about her struggles to overcome her separation from Naruto.

After breaking out of the prison, she had roamed around Extalia looking for a way off the floating island, but found that the only way down was falling. Go figure.

Not wanting to fall to her doom, Juvia then began to debate whether or not she'd be able to make the fall if she turned her body into water.

"Juvia looked like she was about to jump when we ran into her." Happy said and shook his head.

Naruto and Lucy both looked at Juvia in surprise, who was clasping her cheeks and steaming in embarrassment.

"Juvia would go to great lengths for the sake of her beloved!" She said while bashfully stealing glances at Naruto.

"You know, I just realized something." Naruto said and Juvia gasped.

Could it be? Did her feelings finally get through to him!?

"Does that mean Naruto-Sama-"

"Gray sure is a lucky guy! Ah! Sorry, I kinda found out that you liked Gray. But don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Naruto said with a wink.

"W-why...?" Juvia mumbled as she froze into a statue, her mouth gaping in disbelief.

Lucy placed a supporting hand on Juvia's shoulder. Knowing exactly how the girl felt, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl.

Carla shook her head, there should be a limit to how dense a person could be.

After walking down a couple more flights of stairs, the group found themselves in a long hallway.

Just as they made it off the stairway, Naruto suddenly spun around and deflected an incoming projectile. He groaned when a familiar spear sank into the ground in front of him. 'This girl just doesn't quit!'

Erza Knightwalker, as well as a group of soldiers walked down the stairs above them.

"Did you really think I would just let you do as you pleased?" The confident woman asked as she glared down at them.

Naruto turned around and pointed down the hall. "I'll hold them off, go find Wendy-Chan and Natsu!"

Lucy was about refuse when Wendy's pain-filled screams fill the hallway.

"Wendy!" Carla yelled and ran towards the screaming with Happy right behind her.

Realizing that there was no time to argue, Lucy chased after the two while looking back. "Just be careful!"

"Juvia will stay and help Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said, refusing to part from her beloved when they had only just reunited.

Naruto nodded. 'Lucy will be fine… But we gotta finish this as fast as possible.'

"I will kill you all here and now." Knightwalker said and began to slowly walk towards them.

"This is the Erza-San of Edolas?" Juvia asked, surprised to see the woman who she had come to respect, as well as suspect, say such words.

"Prepare yourselve-" The knight was interrupted when a series of explosions went off behind her, wiping out all of the soldiers behind her.

A familiar cloaked man walked forward as the flames cleared. His hand was outstretched, showing that he was the one behind the explosions.

"Mystogan!" Naruto half-cheered at the sudden reinforcements, but he frowned when the man shook his head.

"Mystogan is not present."

Naruto noticed that there were no staves on the man's back and scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah, sorry Jay. We really gotta get you a different outfit." He then blinked in realization. "Wait a second! How are you here!?"

Erza Knightwalker began to quiver with anger. The way these mages ignored their enemies in the middle of a battle infuriated her! "Enough! I'll kill you all and offer your heads to my king!" Dashing forward and grabbing onto her weapon, the knight swung it at the two closest to her with a horizontal slash.

Naruto hopped over the attack and stuck to the roof as the weapon merely fazed through Juvia's body of water, surprising the Edolas mage.

'More magic from Earthland?' Erza thought before her weapon glowed and changed into a golden spear with a blade shining with light.

Juvia created a water blade to block it, but the spear cut right through the water. The attack didn't hit her directly but she fell back in surprise.

A triumphant grin on her face, Knightwalker prepared for the finishing blow when she heard a shout from above her. She saw Naruto falling towards her, and she jumped back as his fist made contact with the ground, shattering the cement as if it were glass.

Naruto looked up with his now toad-like eyes. He had taken a moment to summon one of the clones from his scroll and go into Sage Mode while on the ceiling. With the first clone used, that made three more quick entries. "You okay Juvia?"

Juvia nodded and stood up. "Yes. The blade went right through Juvia's magic, but it did not make contact."

Edo-Erza grunted in pain as she felt the wound on her back sting. She still wasn't fully healed, but that wasn't going to stop her from accomplishing her goal.

"Let's stop fighting already, I can see that you can barely stand." Naruto said and began to walk towards the exhausted knight with his hands raised.

"Never!" Erza Knightwalker roared defiantly and swung her spear with an intent to kill, but her anger-filled swings were easily avoided by the sage.

'It's hard to believe this is really the Edolas version of Erza...' Naruto thought as he continued to avoid the hate-filled attacks. It almost pained him seeing so much hatred in her eyes. Although, it kind of made sense when everything here was pretty much the opposite of that in Earthland. But he couldn't help but feel that deep down this person was just as kind as the Erza he knew, even if it was just wishful thinking.

Jellal watched the scene in front of him with interest. He knew first-hand how powerful Naruto was and could have easily ended this, but he didn't seem to have any intention in doing so. 'What is your plan, Naruto-San?'

Naruto decided enough was enough and stopped the spear with his hand and grabbed it. He then ripped the weapon out of the girl's hands and snapped it like a twig. "It's over. You need to see a doctor..."

The red head clenched her teeth as the two pieces of her now broken Ten Commandments fell to the ground. "I am... *Huff!* The captain of the... second magic war division... In the name of my king... I will not be defeated!" With the last of her strength, Erza Knightwalker pulled out a blade from her waist and aimed for her Naruto's heart.

"Naruto-Sama!" Juvia yelled when Naruto didn't move and reached out to intervene but she was to late.

 ***Clang!***

Knightwalker widened her eyes in disbelief when the dagger in her hands cracked and fell to the ground. 'This can't be!? Is his skin made of iron!?' Sinking to her knees from exhaustion, she dropped the now broken weapon to her side. This was it. She was going to die now. A failure to her king and country.

But when the final blow never came, she looked up to find Naruto holding his hand out. "W-what are you doing?"

Naruto scratched his cheek. "It's a rule in our guild not to kill anyone, and you didn't really hurt any of us."

Edo-Erza was further surprised when the blonde grinned.

"I know you're not the Erza I know, but I can't help but feel that deep down you're a kind person just like her."

Jellal smiled under his mask. He had been wondering why Naruto had saved him from being in prison for a while now, and assumed that it had been for Erza's sake. But that clearly wasn't the case. No wonder Erza thought so highly of Naruto and trusted him so much. This was just the kind of person he was.

Juvia smiled fondly at the ninja's kindness. 'Ah~ Naruto-Sama is so kind…'

Erza Knightwalker stared at the teen in front of her in disbelief. 'This boy is... an idiot.'

She could not believe-no, she refused to believe that this boy was doing this out of kindness. "Are you satisfied? Have you not already humiliated me enough? Finish me."

Naruto frowned. "I already told you, the mages of Fairy Tail don't kill. Now come on, let's get you some help." He didn't need to be a medical ninja to see that this girl needed to see a doctor, if the small puddle of blood at her side had anything to say about it.

"Let's go to the others, Naruto-San." Jellal said and began to walk down the hall.

"But what about-" Naruto started but the man cut him off.

"This may not be the Erza of our world, but she is still Erza nonetheless. Do you really think she would die from an injury like that?"

Naruto sweatdropped. Jellal did have a point, and he wanted to make sure Natsu and Wendy were okay.

"Go." Knightwalker suddenly said as she propped herself onto a nearby wall. "This is my loss."

"Let's go, Naruto-Sama." Juvia said and Naruto hesitated to just leave the woman there, but nodded and followed his friends.

"But mark my words, this won't stop me from trying to kill you. Pray that our paths never cross again." Though she meant every word that left her mouth, they lacked the hatred that was present just seconds ago.

"What a vile woman..." Juvia muttered under her breath before she noticed that Naruto was grinning. "Naruto-Sama?"

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, it's nothing."

Juvia tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the development that had just occurred.

'How ironic...' Jellal thought with a chuckled. As dense as Naruto may be, it was only to romantic feelings aimed towards himself.

"You know..." Naruto said before sending Jellal a bitter smile. "You could have stepped in anytime."

The cloaked man put his hands up in defense. "Sorry, you looked like you were in control of things so I didn't want to get in the way."

Naruto grunted. "So where did you come from anyway? Did Mystogan send you?"

Jellal shook his head. "I'll explain as once we catch up to the others."

* * *

Somewhere in the castle, in front of a large canon with a dragon head-shaped chain stood the king of Edolas.

"Byro... Are the preparations complete?" The king asked and the short man standing next to him nodded nervously.

"Almost your highnesh, we are loading the canon with the dragon shlayers magic right now."

"Good..." Faust nodded approvingly. Soon he would finally be rid of those false gods and the land of Edolas, along with all its magic, would belong to him!

Byro pulled out a key with a dragon insignia on it and offered it to his king. "Take thish, it is the key to the dragon chain canon. With it, you will be able to take command of the giant lacrima and smash it into the land of the cats…"

"And eternal magic shall rain down on my kingdom." Faust finished with a dangerous grin on his face and took the key into his hands. "You've done well, Byro."

"Your words do me honor, your majeshty." Byro said and bowed deeply.

"Wow~ That's a strange looking canon!"

Faust an Byro both jumped in surprise when a masked man with a playful voice stuck his head in between them.

"W-who are you!? How'd you get past the guards!?" Byro demanded and stepped between the newcomer and his king.

The masked man ignored the question thrown at him and focused his attention on Byro. "You wouldn't happen to be the one in charge of that dimensional thingy... Anima, was it?"

"S-sho what if I am?" Byro said, taken aback from the sudden question. Who was this person, and where the hell were the guards!?

The strange person clapped his hands cheerfully. "Oh goodie! Now then... **Would you mind coming with me?"**

The sudden change in tone spooked the two men. Byro noticed the small hole in the man's mask and saw a single red eye with three tomoe-like patterns glowering at him. 'What is thish... I'm losing... Consciousness...'

"B-Byro? What are you doing? Kill this man!" Faust ordered but it was too late, Byro was already under the visual illusions of the Sharingan.

Byro fell to the ground.

The masked man picked up the unconscious Byro and threw him over his shoulder. "Now then, sorry for the intrusion. I will on my way now."

By the time the guards the guards burst through the door, the air around the man began to swirl around his form. It consumed his entire body and he was gone.

"Byro-Sama!" One of the guards yelled and ran up to the king. "Byro-Sama has been taken your highness, what are your orders?"

"Leave him." Faust said in a harsh tone. "He has served his purpose, now prepare the dragon chain canon at once!" The king of Edolas commanded and the soldiers began the preparations without hesitation. No one talked back to the king and lived to tell the tale.

* * *

After they caught up with the others and found Natsu and Wendy, Jellal explained that he had been trapped in the giant lacrima and that Gajeel and Tenten had broken him out. They woke the two dragon slayers with small red pills called X-Balls, which allowed mages from Earthland to use magic in Edolas for whatever reason.

Upon waking up, the two were reunited with their feline friends, eliminating the worries that the two Exceeds had for their supposed betrayal in an instant.

Wendy had then revealed that they learned that the king of Edolas planning to use the giant lacrima crystal to destroy Extalia.

"What do we do now?" Lucy asked after the explanation was over. "If they make the two floating islands collide, our friends will..."

"That's not gonna happen! I say we go to the king and force him to stop all this!" Natsu roared.

"I agree." Naruto said with a serious expression. "I'm tired of all this talk of sacrificing lives for magic."

"So, we're in agreement? Then let's go!" Natsu said and was about to take off, but Naruto grabbed onto his collar to keep him still. "Hey, what gives!?"

"Hang on Natsu, I got a plan." Naruto said and closed his eyes.

"You came up with a plan?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't an insult, Naruto usually relied on others to come up with strategies so she was just surprised.

Naruto opened his now toad-like eyes and nodded. "I know where the king is, I can sense him with sage mode."

"That's amazing Naruto-San!" Wendy said with wide eyes and everyone agreed.

Lucy sent Naruto a questioning look. "But how? The king doesn't have magic in him or chakra, right? Then how are you able to sense him?"

Naruto hummed in thought while thinking of the right words to describe it. "It's kinda hard to explain, but remember when I'm in sage mode, I'm tapping into nature itself. So anything, or anyone, stands out to me. I know the person I'm sensing is the king because of when I punched him."

"As expected of Naruto-Sama! Recklessly attacking the king was all a part of Naruto-Sama's plan!" Juvia cheered and Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

'No it wasn't.' Everyone else thought in unison.

"Happy, Charla. You guys saw the lacrima crystal in the sky, right?" After getting a nod from both, Naruto continued. "You guys take Natsu and Wendy-Chan there, grab Gajeel if you see him on the way. If what Jellal says is true, then you guys are our only hope to save everyone in the guild."

Natsu grinned, he was glad to finally be able to do something flashy. "I'll leave the king to you then Naruto! Come on Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said and the two ran out the door.

Naruto chuckled at the pink haired teen's enthusiasm, but noticed that Wendy had yet to move. "Wendy-Chan?"

The little girl seemed hesitant to leave. "U-um... Actually, I wanted to go and warn the Exceeds. It's not because I don't believe you're going to stop them, that's not it! It's just..."

Naruto blinked in surprise. She didn't even know the Exceeds, and she wanted to warn them? "Hehe… I understand." He said with a chuckle before patting Wendy on the head. "Alright, you can go. But hurry to the lacrima crystal after you warn them alright? Natsu and Gajeel are gonna need your help."

Wendy smiled brightly. "Thank you Naruto-San! Let's go Carla!"

"Look after Wendy-Chan, Carla." Naruto called out to the fleeting duo.

"That goes without saying." Carla said without looking back, earning a smile from the wind dragon slayer.

"Are they going to be alright by themselves?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"They'll be fine, Wendy-Chan is a lot stronger than she puts herself out to be." Naruto said and counted out the remaining people in front of him. Lucy, Juvia, Jellal, and Naruto himself. "Alright guy, here's the plan."

* * *

"Gihihi! Come on! Isn't there anyone worth fighting around here?" Gajeel called out arrogantly as he threw an unconscious guard across the plaza.

Tenten parried an enemy spear with her bo staff before spinning around and hitting his legs, knocking the guard off his feet. "I'm glad we were able to get Jay out of that crystal, but we're not getting anywhere here! Just where is the rest of the lacrima supposed to be?"

Gajeel grabbed onto one of the soldiers and grinned maniacally, terrifying the poor man with his expression. "Maybe we can get it out of one of these guys?"

"Gajeel!"

Gajeel dropped the soldier and looked up to find Natsu and Happy flying towards him. "Huh, Salamander?"

Happy swooped down and Natsu snatched the iron dragon slayer off the ground.

"Don't just pick me up like that!" Gajeel yelled as he thrashed around.

"Shut up! We know where the giant lacrima is!" Natsu said and at the mentioning of the lacrima, Gajeel finally calmed down.

Tenten watched as the three flew away and realized they weren't coming back for her. While avoiding the remaining soldiers, she climbed onto one of the nearby buildings. "Hey! Where are you guys going!? Don't just leave me behind!"

Gajeel glanced back at the ranting girl on the rooftop. "If we don't go back for her, she's gonna be pissed."

Natsu shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, we can blame it on Naruto. He did only tell us to get you anyway."

When they didn't respond, Tenten let out an irritated sigh. Seriously, what was with these mages leaving without saying anything? "I wish Erza-San was here..."

"We should be able to make it without her."

Tenten whirled around and jumped back while pulling out a small scroll before she recognized the person in front of her. "Jay? You scared me, what are you doing here? I thought you went to help Naruto."

Mystogan sighed and took off his mask, he was getting tired of all this confusion. "It's Mystogan, and I could use your help."

* * *

 **A/N: We're nearing the end of the arc!**

 **Next chapter, Naruto and Sasuke meet again!**


	30. The Akatsuki

**The Fox Scroll**

 **Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail**

 **A/N: This chapter has been revised as of 5/28/2017**

* * *

"Is the canon ready to fire?" Faust asked impatiently, he was growing tired of waiting. Eternal magic was finally within his grasp, he only needed to reach out and grab it!

"Yes your highness! The dragon chain canon is fully charged!"

Faust grinned and swiped his hand forward. "Good, now fire!"

The soldier in charge of the canon placed the key into the canon. "Yes sir!"

 **Bang!** **  
**  
Just as the canon was about to be fired, the large doors were blown off their hinges and crashed to the ground.

"Fairy Tail-gah!"

Three figures rushed into the room and tore through the wall of soldiers.

A fourth figure who the king immediately recognized walked into the room. "You again boy!? How are you still alive!? Knightwalker failed me again!?"

Naruto ignored the noisy old man and kept walking towards the large canon. Jumping on top of the platform next to the dragon shaped chain, Naruto turned around and looked down at the ongoing battle. His friends were just about done clearing the room of the soldiers, and all that was left was the raging king.

"How dare you defy the king!" Faust screamed as the three mages surrounded him. "I'm bringing this kingdom the magic that it rightfully deserves! The magic that rightfully belongs to me!"

Lucy frowned. "You're insane."

"Insane? Is it not the king's right to take everything for himself!? It's-"

"Would you shut up already!?" Naruto shouted in frustration, interrupting the insane man and his ranting. "It's the king's right to take everything? Don't make me laugh! You're just taking the lives of innocent people for your own greedy needs!"

"Then so be it. By bringing eternal magic, my kingdom will become supreme! I will be known as the greatest king in the history of Edolas!"

"You wouldn't know what a good leader was if it smacked you in face!"

Faust growled and unconsciously rubbed his still sore jaw. "Insolent child..."

Lucy and Juvia looked back and forth between the king and the ninja, wondering whether they should intervene the heated argument.

"Enough! I will use the lacrima to destroy Extalia, even if it kills me!" Faust claimed and dashed to the canon in an attempt to activate it. He was slightly surprised when they didn't chase him. 'Fools!'

Faust grabbed onto the key with a dragon insignia on it and turned it, the dragon chain canon began to rumble as it was preparing to fire. "Victory is mine! Eternal magic is-" Faust stopped mid-sentence when he saw Naruto grab onto the canon and bent the tube downward as if it was clay. The chain was now pointing right Faust.

With the canon not being able to function correctly, sparks began to fly out of the controls until it finally shut down.

"I've had enough of this. We're taking our friends back whether you like it or not." Naruto said and hopped down.

'M-monster!' Faust fell back on his rear as Naruto passed him, he couldn't believe what was happening. His soldiers were scattered around the room unconscious, his captains nowhere to be found, and all because of these children!

"So what now?" Lucy asked when Naruto walked up to her and Juvia.

"Let's go catch up with Natsu and the others." Naruto said and the group nodded.

Jellal pointed at the still shocked king. "What about him?"

Naruto shook his head and started walking towards the doors. "Just leave him. What's he gonna do? He's a crazy old man that can't do anything himself." He really wanted to do more for the people here, but the guild and the people of Magnolia's safety was his main priority right now. Hopefully they would see just how corrupted their king really was themselves one day.

After they left the room, a soldier regained consciousness and crawled over to Faust. "Are you alright sire?"

The king snapped out of his trance and glared at the now smoking cannon. "Activate Dorma Animu."

* * *

"What is this place?" Tenten asked as she and Mystogan walked down a spiral staircase.

"This place leads to the magical machine that makes the Anima. I'm planning to use it to send Magnolia back to Earthland."

Tenten's eyes widened. "You can do that!?"

Mystogan nodded. "Yes. But with the incident that occurred yesterday, I'm sure that the machine is heavily guarded right now."

"And so you brought me along to help." Tenten deducted with a short nod.

As they neared the end of the stairway, Mystogan stopped and brought a finger to his mouth. They peered around the corner and found a door, which most likely held the Anima maker.

They silently made their way to the door and just as they reached it, voices could be heard from within.

"So this is the machine that they used to connect with other dimensions? Kukuku... It's more advanced than anything I've ever seen in our world."

"Advanced as it may be, will you still be able to connect to the other world?"

"What, you still don't trust me? I'm hurt. With these blueprints, of course I'll be able to connect us to the other world."

"Last time I trusted you with this we ended up in a completely different dimension. As fun as it was to explore this realm, we can't afford to waste any more time finding the remaining jinchuuriki."

Tenten narrowed her eyes, 'Akatsuki? What are they doing here?'

She peered into the room and saw three figures standing next to a large machine that she guessed was the thing that made the Anima. Soldiers were littered around the room and whether they were dead or just unconscious, she couldn't tell.

"Well then, we have what we need now. Shall we be going?"

'Crap! They're leaving!' Tenten thought and debated whether or not to jump in.

"Ah, one last thing." One of the Akatsuki members said and turned around. Tenten's heart nearly stopped when the masked man looked directly at her. "Tell the rest of your group that we'll be seeing you all real soon."

The other man chuckled as the air around them swirled and consumed them.

Tenten fell to her knees, they knew they were there the whole time. Did they just spare their lives?

"There's still one more person." Mystogan said and walked into the room. When he neared the remaining figure, the man fell to the ground and they could see his face. "Byro? I see... They must have used Byro's knowledge on the Anima for their plans."

"What they plan on doing is hardly a mystery." Tenten said and walked next to the cloaked man. ""We'll be seeing you all soon?" They must have figured out a way to get to Earthland." But the scariest part of it all was that they wanted them to know.

Mystogan nodded grimly. "I think it's safe to assume that. You should go back and warn the rest of your friends."

"You mean back in Earthland?" Tenten said before her eyes widened in realization. Of course! Mystogan had been the one to send her to Edolas in the first place! It was only natural he'd be able to send her back.

Mystogan nodded. "Tell them to stay clear of the town, I'll be sending it back shortly. Farewell."

Tenten was about to ask what he was talking about when her vision turned white, and she disappeared from the room.

Mystogan sighed and looked at two distinct people that lay unconscious on the ground. "They were able to defeat two captains and kidnap the chief of staff of the royal army... So this is the Akastuki?"

* * *

"How are we supposed to get up there?" Lucy asked as they looked up at the giant lacrima floating in the air. They were standing in the middle of a forest just outside of the royal city.

"I can summon Gamabunta and have him throw us up here?" Naruto suggested thoughtfully.

Lucy shivered at the thought of being thrown by the monster toad. "I think I'll pass."

Naruto rubbed his chin as he tried to come up with something else. "The chief toad could probably jump that high, but I don't think he would fit up there..." He then looked over to Jellal. "I don't suppose you remember any magic that would help us get up there, would you?"

Jellal shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Though I have regained some of my magical abilities, none of them would be of use to us at the moment."

Juvia noticed a cloud of dust on the floating island. "There seems to be a battle going on up there."

Naruto sighed. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have Natsu and Gajeel to work together."

"What is that!?" Lucy yelled and point up at the floating island.

Everyone looked up and were surprised to see a giant sword floating in the air. Taking a closer look, they could barely see someone holding the weapon.

The giant sword then came down on the floating island, taking off a good sized chunk of the rock.

"Look out!"

The four scrambled out of the way as rocks fell down from the sky.

"Hey watch it! Can't you see there are people down here!?" Naruto shouted while shaking and angry fist.

Lucy got up and dusted herself off. "Honestly... We just can't catch a break right now."

Naruto tensed when something hit his senses. 'So, it's time already?'

"Naruto." Jellal said and the blonde nodded.

"Yeah." Naruto grabbed the large scroll from his back and opened it.

Juvia noticed as well and took a defensive stance next to Naruto.

"What? What is it?" Lucy asked and looked around. Were they about to be attacked?

"About time you noticed, dobe."

Lucy turned around and gasped when she saw Sasuke and the other Akatsuki member.

"Naruto-Sama, what's the plan?" Juvia asked and Naruto frowned.

'We outnumber them four to two, but I don't really know a lot about that other guy. Just that he was Itachi's partner.' Naruto thought before glancing at his friends. The only person he was really worried about here was Lucy. Juvia would be okay due to the nature of her magic, and Jellal still had a monstrous amount of magic power. But Lucy's fighting style tended to rely on the power of her spirits, and she had little battle experience herself.

While he thought Lucy was a lot stronger than she generally put herself out to be, their opponents were the Akatsuki.

Finally making his decision, Naruto summoned one of the three remaining clones from his scroll. "I'll take on Sasuke, you guys all team up on the other guy and until I come back." With that said, Naruto dispelled the clone and felt himself enter sage mode. He then took off running into the forest.

Sasuke grunted and gave chase, he'd humor his 'best friend' in his final moments. "Finally taking me seriously are you? Kisame, take care of these people."

Kisame chuckled as the three remaining mages all glared at him. "Three against one? Sounds fun."

* * *

Naruto skid to a stop, now just outside of the forest in a dirt field. He turned around and saw his rival staring right at him with his cold black eyes. "Before we start, what are you doing in Edolas?" It had been on his mind for a while now and he just wanted to know.

Sasuke frowned as though something were bothering him. "Kabuto discovered an anomaly after you disappeared and found a way to connect Madara's space-time technique to it. But none of that is going to make sense to you, is it?"

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Ah, no... Not really." While he didn't understand the details, he understood one thing. The Akatsuki had been in Edolas this whole time rather than the Elemental Nations.

Sasuke put a hand on his sword and slowly pulled it out of its sheath. "Now if you're done wasting my time, let's end this."

"Sasuke..." Naruto said but didn't say anything else, because he knew their fight was inevitable. He was the only one who could handle Sasuke's hatred, and he would. Even if it cost him his life.

At least that was the conclusion he came up with from their last encounter.

Naruto and Sasuke rushed forward, closing the distance between each other in an instant. The Uchiha started the battle off with a series of sword slashed, to which Naruto could easily avoid do to his nature enhanced senses.

Sharingan against Sage Mode, their battle had begun.

Sasuke's eyes flashed red and began to try and read Naruto's movements. But with the power of nature on his side, Naruto continued to avoid his strikes.

Naruto began to go on the offensive. 'Sorry Sasuke, but I'm not dying today!' Taking out a kunai, he channeled wind chakra into it and began to force Sasuke back.

Sasuke sucked his teeth when Naruto's movements got faster. It was getting harder for him to keep up with him, even with his Sharingan.

Finally finding an opening in Sasuke's defenses, Naruto closed in and launched a senjutsu enhanced punch.

 **Crack!**

Naruto's eyes widened when his fist collided with a purple rib cage that was now surrounding Sasuke's entire person.

His eyes now in the form of the Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke smirked. "That sage power of yours is powerful, but how will it fair against my Susanoo?"

Naruto put his arms up to defend when a skeletal arm materialized out of nowhere and launched itself towards him, the sheer force of the punch sent him flying across the clearing.

Sasuke looked at the cracked ribs of his ghastly defenses and frowned. 'I should probably start playing at a distance.'

The Susanoo's defense was absolute, but even it had its limits, and the strength behind Naruto's attacks were insanely powerful. Who knew how many more hits he would be able to take.

"Heh... You really are strong, Sasuke." Naruto said as he pulled himself off the ground. Even with his increased durability sage mode gave him, that punch hurt like hell.

He then looked up and for the first time in the battle, yellow met red as he looked Sasuke right in the eyes.

Normally it would be suicide to look at an Uchiha directly in the eyes, one look at the Sharingan and you risk falling for their genjutsu. But Naruto knew that Sasuke wouldn't resort to using genjutsu to defeat him. After all, Naruto knew that Sasuke wanted to defeat him in fair combat, to prove that he was stronger. Just like him.

This action brought a smirk to Sasuke's face. "You're a fool to look at me in the eye, I could end you in an instant."

Naruto returned the smirk. "I know, but you won't."

Sasuke grunted in annoyance as the rib cage protecting him grew, it continued to grow as the bones gained flesh and eventually came to a humanoid form. The spiritual beast roared as it also gained cloth and a helmet, along with a crossbow. "That confidence of yours always made me sick."

Naruto was about to retort when he felt something pulse within body, like something was trying to come out of him. 'W-what the!' Was the Kyuubi trying to get out?

Taking advantage of the sudden opening, Sasuke commanded the purple giant to take aim. He was about to fire when he felt something that he didn't think was possible. "Is that... Naruto! What are you playing at!?"

At this point in time Naruto was on his knees, and seemed to be choking on something. "Gugh!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in terror when a black bird made its way out of the blonde's mouth. "That crow...!"

"Is this... That bird from that one time?" Naruto wheezed as he thought back to his last encounter with Itachi, how the man had placed him under his genjutsu and shoved a crow down his throat.

Sasuke's look of terror turned to that of outright anger. "Where did that crow come fro-" His words stopped mid-sentence when be locked eyes with the crow. It had a single Sharingan, and it seemed to be using it...

On him.

* * *

 **"** **Meteor!"** Jellal took off at a neck-breaking speed towards his opponent, he would try and provide the girls with enough time to prepare their attacks.

Kisame's ever-present grin widened at the blue haired man's showcase of speed and tried to take a swing at the speedy man.

Jellal was fast enough to just barely avoid the strike, but didn't expect the weapon to slam into the ground and create a shockwave strong enough to knock him off his feet. Jellal tumbled onto the ground and crashed into a large bush.

Juvia splashed a volley of water into the air as the droplets formed into a volley of ninja stars. "Water shuriken!"

"Oh, a water user eh? Let's see which current is stronger..." Weaving through a couple hands signs, Kisame created a large shark made of water thrust his hand forward. **"Water style: shark bomb jutsu!"**

The shark swam through the air towards Juvia, plowing through her water shuriken as if they weren't even there.

"He uses water as well!?" Juvia shouted and jumped out of the way of the attack, and the shark flew into the ground and exploded.

Lucy pulled out one of her golden keys and summoned one of her celestial spirits. "Open, gate of the ram! Aries!"

"I'm sorry!" The timid spirit apologized as she appeared.

"Get him with your wool, Aries!" Lucy said and pointed at Kisame.

'This girl uses a type of summoning... I think I remember her summoning a large bull creature last time.' Kisame thought before his eyebrow raised when he noticed a large stream of pink wool headed his way. The wool consumed his entire body as he tumbled backwards, but it didn't hurt. In fact, he felt a rather pleasant feeling. 'Do they really plan on defeating me by making me feel good?'

"We got him! Good job Aries!" Lucy said and pumped a fist, making the shy spirit blush from the complement.

Juvia walked over to Lucy and Aries. "Did we really get him?"

Jellal pulled himself out of the bushes and made his way to the group. "No, it's not over yet." He said as the sound of rushing water filled their ears.

The giant pile of wool exploded as a massive amount of water flooded the entire forest.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Lucy screamed as she was swept away by the water. What was with her and water sweeping her away!?

"I'm so sorry!" Aries cried out before disappearing.

'How was this man able to create such a massive amount of water out of thin air?' Juvia thought as she took on her water form to avoid being swept away. She was able to create water with her magic by using the moisture in the air, but the more water she created, the more magic power it took. She could only assume it was the same for their opponent. 'Just how much mag-er… chakra does this person have?'

The water finally settled, and Jellal and Lucy were frantically swimming to stay afloat at the surface.

"Juvia's okay, but we're sitting ducks in this water!" Lucy said before her eyes widened. "Wait, water! Of course!"

Down underwater, Juvia frantically searched for the enemy. She knew that Lucy and Jellal would be put at a disadvantage with all this water, so she had to protect them. 'Where are you...'

Something swished past Juvia, but it was hard to see with all the trees everywhere.

An object suddenly cut right through Juvia's torso, but she was unaffected due to her magic. But it was odd. For a very brief second, Juvia had felt herself being drained of her magic when the man's sword had made contact with her water body.

"What a troublesome ability you have."

Juvia whirled around as saw Kisame floating in the water a couple feet away from her. "When it comes to water, Juvia won't lose!"

Kisame chuckled. "Is that so?"

Juvia's response was turning her arms into water blade and swimming forward.

Kisame waited until she was right in front of him to bring up his sword to block the two blades, he then swung his weapon in a horizontal slash.

Juvia let the enormous weapon pass right through her body. She felt a slight drain in her magic reserves again, but she lashed out with her own, but the man was simply too fast and swam straight up. 'This man is too fast underwater!'

Kisame continued to swim upwards until he finally reached the surface, spooking the two mages present.

"Wah! He's here!" Lucy shrieked as she fumbled with the golden key in her hands.

'My movements are restricted because of this water, but if could get to one of those trees I should be able to use that spell.' Jellal thought and began to make his way towards the nearest tree poking out of the water.

Kisame was now standing on the water, looking down at the water mage that was slowly making her way towards him. "If physical attacks won't work, then let's try this!" He went through a couple more hands seals and placed his hand in the water. "Water style: Five hungry sharks!"

As the name implied, five sharks made of water formed under the surface of the water and charged towards Juvia, causing the girl to gasp in surprise.

As Kisame watched Juvia avoid the multiple sharks trying to chomp her, a flash of light from a distance caught his attention. "Hm? Oh, another summon?"

"Where's Naruto!? Why isn't he here protecting Juvia-Chan!?" Aquarius questioned angrily as she looked around for the ninja in question.

'Shouldn't you be more worried about your master...?' Lucy thought with a deadpanned expression before shaking her head. "Naruto's busy right now and this guy that we're fighting is really strong!"

"Aquarius-San~!"

"Huh?" The celestial spirit looked down just as Juvia burst to the surface of the water and hugged her. "Juvia-Chan! What's wrong!?"

"Juvia is being attacked!" The water mage said and pointed back down in the water, more specifically at the five sharks that were closing in on them.

"Wah!" Lucy shrieked and began to panic, causing Aquarius growl in annoyance.

"Calm down, will ya!?" The spirit yelled at Lucy, who instantly obeyed. She then pointed her urn towards the sharks and shot a torrent of water, wiping out the attack in an instant. "Jeez, keep freaking out like that and you'll never get a boyfriend."

'That last comment wasn't necessary...' Lucy thought while blowing bubble in the water in a pouting fashion.

Kisame couldn't help but sweatdrop. 'What an odd bunch...'

"So how are things going with Naruto?" Aquarius asked teasingly.

Juvia clasped her cheeks bashfully. "Naruto-Sama hasn't noticed yet... But that's what makes Naruto-Sama so cute!"

Aquarius shook her head. "You're too cute girl, but you can't wait too long or he'll be snatched away before you know it!"

Lucy fumed, Aquarius should be giving her advise! No wait! They were in the middle of a fight! They didn't have time for this right now!

Kisame watched as Lucy tried to get the other two to get back into the fight. 'At least one of them is taking this a little more seriously...'

"Wah~!"

 **Splash!**

'Ah. She just got sent flying.'

Jellal sweatdropped as he watched Lucy skip across the water like a stone. Shaking his head, the man looked at the enemy at hand. 'Now, while he's distracted.

Kisame sighed. What did a guy have to do to get a decent fight around here?

'Now!' Jellal thrust his palm forward and shot out a beam of pure magic.

Kisame felt the attack coming from a mile away and simply lifted his bandaged sword up. The stream of magic hit the weapon directly and successfully tore off most of the bandages.

'What's with that sword?' Jellal thought as Samehada was now fully uncovered, and the scaly weapon seemed to be shuddering.

"What's the matter with you? Do you really hate the taste of magic that much?" Kisame said to his sentient weapon before he noticed the water was starting to drain. "Looks like the jutsu's time is up, guess I better wrap things up."

Jellal hopped down when the water was low enough for him to stand in it. 'Now that the water is gone, I'll be able move freely again.' He glanced behind his shoulder at his guild-mates. It seemed they were finally ready to fight again. 'How are things on your end, Naruto-San?'

* * *

"…" Sasuke stood like a statue with a blank expression, a voice echoing in his head.

 _Protect Konoha..._ _  
_  
He could hear it, his brother's words. Itachi's voice was telling him to protect the very place he vowed to destroy.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, taking a step forward when his rival's Susanoo disappeared.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with his now onyx colored eyes, but didn't say anything.

Naruto dared to take another step forward, but stopped when the air next to Sasuke began to distort. A hooded man wearing a mask appeared through the distortion. "Madara!"

Sasuke didn't so much as flinch when the man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I told you not pursue the Kyuubi." Madara said with a dark voice.

"… I don't take orders from you." Sasuke finally said, causing the masked man to chuckle.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me and give Sasuke back!" Naruto shouted and started running towards the two Sharingan users.

Madara looked over at Naruto, his red eye shining in amusement. "Don't worry, you'll be seeing us again sooner than you think."

"What are you-Hey, wait!" Naruto shouted but the man was already gone, along with Sasuke. "Damn it!" The blonde cursed, but he didn't waste any time and took off into the forest.

* * *

 **Edolias Fairy Tail...**

The "dark" guild was shouting about one single issue: whether to help their Earthland counterparts fight the Royal army.

Wendy, Lucy, Juvia, and Lisanna were on the helping side while mostly everyone else was neutral or clearly on let-them-take-care-of-their-own-issues side.

"Everyone! We have to help them out!" They're risking life and death to deal with an issue that affects all of us! We should be helping out." Lisanna preached to her fellow guild members.

"Lisanna, I know it sounds heroic and everything to stick our noses into their fight but realistically the royal army has almost all of the magic supply left and we basically have enough for one final escape." Mira tried to sooth her emotional sister while the rest agreed.

"That is exactly why we must use what have left to fight them with one final battle!" Lucy retorted hotly.

"I can possibly see why Lisanna, Lucy and Wendy are so against running because of their Earthland counterparts and the other Natsu. But why are you, my dear Juvia, on their side now? I thought you of all people would recognize the futility of this endeavor?" Gray asked meekly.

"Yeah and besides, they have that Naruto guy." Jet said somewhat bitterly with the rest of the guild agreeing with him.

"It's not because of the other Natsu I wanna fight." Lisanna said quietly as the rest of the guild turned their heads towards her. "To be honest, I just wanted to run away and hide with Mira-Nee and Elf-niichan." She began as her siblings smiled at her. "But then I met Naruto and realized that running away won't solve anything!" She said, much to the surprise of the guild.

"Juvia felt the same way meeting Naruto too." Juvia admitted and Wendy nodded in agreement.

"Before we came back to the guild, we had one more conversation with Naruto."

 **Flashback**

Edo-Wendy and Edo-Juvia were at the exit of the safe-house when the latter suddenly stopped.

"Wait Wendy, there is one last thing I want to ask 'Mr. Hero'." Juvia stated and walked back to Naruto. "We need to talk in private. Don't worry, it will just take a second."

Naruto shrugged and walked with them into an empty corner. "What's up?"

"I can tell you are strong, probably much stronger than you showed when you fought Jet and Droy. So why do you waste so much time and effort trying to help your friends out when you could clearly take care of yourself?"

"What do you mean? I-" Naruto said before he was interrupted.

"I want to know too. Countless members of our guild have been killed by the royal army and yet not once have we ever tried to retaliate. We simply run away and never tried protecting something we knew was lost." Wendy said somewhat shamefully.

"Because they are important to me." Naruto replied simply with a foxy grin.

"What kinda answer is that supposed to be!?" Edo-Juvia shouted with Edo-Wendy nodding along. Luckily they were far enough away from the rest of the small group that they didn't hear the little outburst.

"I met a boy my age who devoted his entire life and even his death protecting his "precious person". He told me people can only get truly strong when they are protecting their precious people'. Also, my sensei taught me his personal philosophy: "Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." I live by both of those philosophies so I will never become trash and always get stronger to protect those precious to me!" Naruto declared shocking both women to their cores. "Anyways, have a safe journey back to your guild and tell everyone I said hi." Naruto said and walked back to his Earthland companions.

 **End** **Flashback**

"So let's try to learn from his examples and for the sake of all of our friends who we couldn't save, let's help their guild out!" Wendy cried out loudly as the rest of the guild lifted their fists up in agreement.

"Heh, now I'm really looking forward to meeting this Naruto guy." Lucy Ashley said, causing Juvia and Wendy to sweatdrop. She was in for a big surprise.

'Thank you Naruto... Your words to Wendy and Juvia have turned this guild into a real guild worthy of the name Fairy Tail.' Lisanna thought to herself as the rest of the mages prepared for battle.

* * *

"Not gonna lie, I really wish Naruto was here right now!" Lucy yelled as she ran for her life. They didn't stand a chance against this guy! He was like on a whole other level! With the water now gone, Aquarius had gone back to the celestial spirit world.

A water explosion went off on Lucy's right, and Juvia jumped out the brush. "What are you doing here!?" Lucy asked as the water woman matched her pace.

Juvia had a troubled look on her face. "No matter what Juvia throws, nothing works. It's a bit frustrating..."

The sound of rustling leaves caught their attention as Jellal jumped of a bush and landed next to them.

"No luck?" They both asked and Jellal nodded.

"I can only remember a handful of spells, but none of them seem to be working. This man is rather sturdy."

'So not even Jellal can hurt this guy...' Lucy thought as Jellal suddenly slowed down, causing the two girls to glance back. "What's wrong?"

Jellal pointed forward and when they turned forward again, Lucy wished she had slowed down alongside the cloaked man.

Naruto jumped out of the brush just ahead of them and they locked eye contact for a split second before they entered a world of pain.

"Naruto/Sama!?"

"Lucy!? Juvi-"

 **Wam!**

Jellal sweatdropped as Lucy and Juvia crashed into Naruto. 'Maybe I should have said something...'

"Ouch... That hurt really hurt." Lucy whined and pushed herself up with her arms, bringing her up to her hands and knees. Head still spinning, Lucy looked around for the person she had just bumped into.

Naruto groaned as his head spun from the surprise impact. He tried to get up and when felt that he couldn't his eyes shot open, and instantly regretted doing so. "Guh!"

Lucy was right on top of him, with her rear facing him. But because she was wearing a skirt, he got a full view of her panties. 'W-white...'

But that wasn't the only thing. He could see Juvia through Lucy's legs, and the girl's face was rested on his crouch.

While Naruto's mind was having a mental overload, Lucy shivered as her senses seemed to be coming back to her. "Is just me, or is there a really chilly breeze..." Her words trailed off when she looked down and saw Juvia. The girl seemed to be unconscious, but Lucy knew better as she could see the slightest of smiles on her lips. She would have yelled at her, but that was she realized the position she was in.

Looking down and peering between her legs, Lucy found Naruto staring right back at her. Her face blushed furiously as she scrambled off the equally embarrassed ninja. "Y-y-y-you saw! Didn't you!?" Lucy stammered while glaring daggers at Naruto with teary eyes.

"No no no! I didn't see anything! I swear!" Naruto denied and tried to get up, but Juvia was still firmly attached to the lower end of his body. Was she really unconscious!?

"What's your favorite color?" Lucy suddenly asked.

"White-I mean orange!" Naruto quickly corrected himself but realized the trap too late.

"You did see..." Lucy sank to her knees and covered her face with her hands. 'I just wanna die right now...' She thought before glaring at Juvia. "Would you get up already!"

Naruto flinched at Lucy's tone before looking down at Juvia who was now stirring, she must have hit her head hard to have been knocked out. "Are you alright Juvia?"

Juvia's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Naruto with a dazed look, causing the teen's already red face to darken. "Yes, Juvia is alright. Because Naruto-Sama broke Juvia's fall!" She said and wrapped her arms around the flustered ninja's neck.

"J-Juvia… What are you doing? Where did the Akatsuki go?"

Lucy rolled her eyes before glancing at Jellal, who quickly looked away. 'I know he's quiet, but he could have at least warned us a little better.'

A couple meters behind them, Kisame was looking down at them from a tree. 'The nine tails jinchuuriki? Maybe something happened...'

 **Flash!**

Kisame, along with Naruto's group, looked up as a bright flash of light consumed the floating island above them. 'What could it be this time?'

When the light faded, the giant lacrima that had once been there was now gone.

"Kisame, fall back for now. We found what we were looking for."

Kisame looked down to see Zetsu staring up at him from the ground.

"Rodger that." The shark man said before he turned around began walking in the direction of their base of operations. 'I was beginning to get a headache from this fight. Do all mages take fights so lightly?'

Naruto continued to stare at the now empty floating island in shock.

"Did Natsu and Gajeel succeed?" Lucy wondered aloud, her embarrassment now gone.

"I sent everyone back to Earthland." Mystogan said as he walked into view. He then turned to Naruto. "I also sent your friend Tenten back to Earthland to warn the other ninjas about the Akatsuki."

"Thanks, Mystogan." Naruto said, making sure to get the name right this time. With Jellal and Mystogan in the same place and both were wearing dark cloaks, the only way to really tell them apart was the magic staves on the latter's back.

Lucy let out a deep sigh and sat down on the floor, exhaustion sweeping over her. "I'm so glad that it's all over and everyone's safe..."

Jellal walked over to Mystogan and took his mask off. "There's something that I've been wondering. We share the same face, and from what the others have been saying there are Edolas "counterparts." You are from Edolas, are you not?"

Everyone looked at Mystogan in shock.

"Now that you mention it, I've never sensed any magic in him. Just from his staves." Naruto said and the man in question nodded.

"It's as you say, I am the Jellal of Edolas." Mystogan said while taking his mask off.

"Juvia's head is starting to spin..." Juvia said as she looked back and forth between the two Jellals. "Juvia wonders what her Edolas counterpart is like."

"I actually traveled with the Edolas version of you Juvia, and Edo-Wendy as well. They both helped me get to the royal city." Naruto said and scratched his cheek. "It was kind of weird though, the Edolas version of you is completely different than you!"

"Different than Juvia?" Juvia wondered aloud. But as Naruto began to describe how the other Juvia acted, her mind began to wander. 'Wait... Did the other Juvia fall in love with Naruto-Sama!? Then that would make Juvia a rival in love to herself!'

Lucy sweatdropped, Juvia clearly wasn't listening. "Can you send us all back to Earthland like Tenten?" She asked Mystogan.

Before Mystogan could answer though, a series of roars could be heard in the distance.

A massive group of giant monsters with wings were flying in the sky, and they were headed straight for Extallia.

"They must be after the Exceeds." Mystogan said.

Lucy gasped. "Wait, aren't Wendy and Carla still there!?"

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter: Back to Earthland!**

 **To those of you who are re-rereading this chapter, I changed the Sasuke scene a little… Now it's more realistic! XD**


	31. Back To Earthland!

The Fox Scroll Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: 500 Reviews! ^^**

* * *

The floating island of Extalia and homeland of the Exceeds was under attack, the seemingly endless troops of the royal capital were riding on giant winged beasts to the normally unreachable land.

"Wendy and Carla are up there, we have to help them!" Lucy said as she and the others helplessly watched from the ground.

"But how are we going to get up there?" Juvia asked and turned to Naruto for a solution.

'I guess it's time for me to use "that".' Naruto thought just as he noticed something flying in their direction. "Heads up!"

The group braced themselves for an attack as a giant cat-like person landed on the ground in front of Jellal and Mystogan.

"Prince Jellal-Sama! Is that really you?" He asked while looking between the two, clearly unsure as to who was who.

Mystogan stepped forward and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Lily."

'That cat guy was leading a bunch of soldiers and chasing us earlier... And prince?' Naruto thought with a frown. "Hey Mystogan, you know this guy?"

"Yes. This is Panther Lily, an old friend of mine." Mystogan said before looking up at the floating islands above them. "But now is not the time for chatting."

Panther Lily nodded. "Agreed. Your friends, the dragon slayers, are already making their way to the island as we speak." As he said that, a series of lights and explosions started going off on Extalia. "To think that Faust would send in the troops without a captain. He has truly gone mad."

"That's probably Natsu and Gajeel." Lucy said with an awkward smile, leave it to Fairy Tail mages to start a rambunctious fight.

"Alright, I guess I'll join them." Naruto said and began to fish something out of his ninja pouch.

"But how are you going to get up there? Even you can't jump that high." Lucy said before taking a step back. "Wait, you're not actually going to have that giant toad throw us up there are you?"

Lily looked over to Mystogan with a questioning look on his face.

"He has the ability to summon giant toads." Mystogan explained, but his eyes were fixated on the ninja. If he recalled correctly, Naruto's summoning technique required some of his blood and a few hand signs. And since he wasn't doing any of that, Mystogan wondered what he could be looking for and how it would help him get up to Extalia.

"Nah, you guys are safe." Naruto said jokingly and pulled out whatever he was looking for.

Everyone looked at the shinobi's outstretched hand and saw a bunch of tiny capsules.

"Are those... Lacrima capsules? What are you gonna do with-" Lucy asked before realization dawned on her face.

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Yup! I'm gonna absorb the magic from these capsules to enter the magic enhanced sage mode."

Everyone looked at Naruto in surprise.

Lucy stared at Naruto with wide eyes. 'Absorbing the magic from lacrima... That's ingenious!'

Naruto gripped the capsules and began to absorb the magic. "I won't be able to hold this transformation for very long, but it should be enough to get me up there."

"Wait! Even with your magic enhanced sage mode, you don't really expect to be able to jump up there do you?" Lucy asked and Juvia scowled at her.

"Are you doubting Naruto-Sama!?"

Panther Lily shook his head. "That's not it. Extalia is normally unreachable to humans. If someone wanted to get up there, they would need the ability to fly."

Naruto just kept grinning as he felt the magical energies enter his system. Opening his now crimson eyes, he took off his sage jacket and sealed it away. "Don't want this to get ruined again." He said and began to tap random places on his body.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked as runes started to appear on the places Naruto had tapped.

"This, is the fruits of my training with Freed-Sensei." Naruto said as he was consumed in a dark energy. **"Dark Ecriture: Absolute Shadow."**

When the darkness left his form, Naruto's upper body was now covered in black armor. His spiky blond hair was now even longer and hung back behind his head that was now covered by a metal helmet. To finish off his new transformation, Naruto tapped his back and a pair of black rune composed wings.

"What is that black armor?" Jellal asked and Naruto inspected himself.

"Black? Oops, I forgot a rune." Tapping his chest, the black armor changed to a bright orange that matched his pants. "There we go! Freed-Sensei wasn't all too thrilled when wanted to make the armor orange."

'I wonder why?' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop before looking at her partner in astonishment. When had he mastered that magic?

Naruto laughed and prepared to take off. "Well then, see you guys!"

 **Swoosh!**

Naruto kicked off the ground and took to the air at an impressive speed.

"Naruto-Sama using magic is amazing!" Juvia said dreamily as they watched the ninja's form fade into the distance.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

* * *

Naruto flew towards the ongoing battle with a slight awkwardness. 'I guess I'm still not used to flying...' But he sure surprised everyone back there, if the looks on their faces had anything to say about it. He would have offered to carry some of them, but using this transformation was already risky enough.

As he got closer to the island, Naruto could hear screaming and shouting.

"Wah! They're gonna get us!" An Exceed yelled as he flew past Naruto.

"I don't want to be turned into magic!" Another one yelled as a bunch of them started flying past the blond.

'How horrible...' Naruto thought with a frown, but pushed forward. First he had to make sure Wendy and Carla were okay, then he was going to kick some major ass.

Making it up to the island, Naruto began to faintly sense Wendy's magic signatures and started heading towards it. Natsu and Happy were fairly close to her, so they were probably looking for her too.

"Iron Dragon's club!"

"Gajeel!" Naruto yelled down as he saw the raven haired man lash out at some soldiers with his iron club.

"Huh?" Gajeel looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Uzumaki? What's with the armor?"

"I'm going ahead!" Naruto said didn't stop and flew past the dragon slayer. But as he did, his magic wings faded away and forced him to land. 'Already starting to reach my limit huh?'

Gajeel growled and began to chase after the blond. "I asked you a question dammit!"

Naruto sent the angered teen an apologetic look before taking off in a sprint. "Sorry, but I'll explain later!" He didn't have time to chat with Gajeel, not with the magic he consumed already running out.

As he ran through the now destroyed town of the Exceed, and bopping a few soldiers upside the head, Naruto could feel something with a lot of magic moving towards the dragon slayers and their cats. Something BIG.

Fearing for the worst, Naruto picked up the pace. "Hang on guys, I'm almost there!"

 **CRASH!**

" **Ahahaha! Is this the best the mages of Earthland can do!?"**

Naruto frowned as he skid past the corner of a building, he knew that voice. But what he saw did not match the face of the corrupted king of Edolas, at all.

In the center of the Exceed town plaza stood a giant metal monster. It easily stood taller than the nearby buildings and was completely covered with armor.

"Is that a dragon!?" Naruto shouted while pointing a finger the giant metallic beast and upon hearing his voice, the "dragon" turned its head towards him.

" **There you are brat... Behold! The strongest magical weapon in Edolas! Dorma Anim!"**

'So it is that crazy king... What's with that armor?' Naruto thought before he heard someone shout to his right.

"Naruto-San!"

Naruto turned to see Wendy waving at him, she was standing next to Natsu who was glaring intensely at the mechanical monstrosity. Making his way over to them while making sure that Faust didn't get the drop on them, Naruto looked his friends over.

Natsu was mostly alright, he just looked a bit ruffled up. But when he looked at Wendy and saw how the little girl was covered in cuts and bruises, something in him snapped. "Wendy-Chan... Who did this to you?"

His voice was calm, but it spooked the two mages. It was enough to snap Natsu's attention to Naruto. 'Ah crap! Naruto's starting to act like Erza!'

Wendy cracked a smile in an attempt to calm the blond down. "I-I'm okay, really. It was actually the-"

" **I did it you fool! They dared to stand in my way as I looked for YOU!"** Faust roared before he cackled with laughter. **"Now that you're here, I can finally kill you and then your friends-"**

 **WHAM!**

"Do you ever stop talking!?" Naruto yelled as he plowed an armored fist into the mech's chest, sending it crashing into a nearby building.

Faust's eyes bulged at the now red screen in front of his face, telling him that there was an indent in the chest. 'He put a dent in the Dorma Anim!? How is this possible!?' He didn't have anymore time to think about it though as Naruto was on him again.

"Taking the world's supply of magic wasn't enough for you, so you turn to hurting little girls!?" Naruto ranted as he lashed out at the metal giant. "Is this how you get your sick kicks!?"

Naruto jumped on top of the dragon and continued to beat down on its chest, deepening the dent he had already put in it. He didn't know why, but he was really angry right now. Was it because he was fighting a man that was on the verge of ruining a country and wiping out an entire species? Or the fact that he not only found the Akatsuki and his best friend, but wasn't able to save said friend? Again?

"Rawrrrrrr!"

The force of Naruto's punches were so strong, Wendy and Natsu had to find cover to avoid being blown away from the shock waves.

"Naruto's pissed! I've never seen him so angry before!" Natsu said with a pale face. He knew that Naruto would get angry when his friends got hurt, but this was ridiculous.

Wendy nodded meekly. She was going to tell Naruto that the Exceeds were actually the ones that had given her most of the cuts and bruises and tell him it was because of a misunderstanding, but quickly decided that was a bad idea. "Why is Naruto-San so angry?"

Natsu shook his head, the anger in his face now turned to concern. "I don't know, but I think we should stop him before he goes to far."

As the two raced towards the blond, Wendy noticed something. 'Was Naruto-San's skin... golden for a second there?' It was only for a moment, but she swore Naruto had a golden aura around him. She remembered back when they had fought the Oración Seis, Naruto had gotten angry and used the demon's power. But that was red, and what she saw wasn't red.

The king tried to swipe Naruto off with one of the arms, but was surprised yet again when the angered teen grabbed onto an offending arm and ripped it off completely. He then began to tear into the metal off from the chest piece by piece to get to the man inside.

Faust began to quiver in fear, the weapons of his ultimate machine were malfunctioning. What magic could this child possess that could penetrate his defenses? The Dorma Anim had special armor that negated all magic! How was this child able to literally rip through the armor with his bare hands? "S-stay back! Demon!" He demanded as Naruto broke through the last layer of metal.

Naruto actually stopped for a second, it had been awhile since anyone had called him that. He felt anger whelm up in the pit of his stomach as his armor disappeared. The remaining magic and natural energy left his system, reverting his features back to normal. He grabbed the corrupt king and brought up a fist when Natsu and Wendy stopped him.

"Wait Naruto-San! Calm down before you do something you'll regret!" Wendy pleaded while holding onto his waist tightly.

"Wendy-Chan..." Naruto said and frowned deeply. 'What am I doing... I almost lost control of my anger again. I'm pathetic...' Although it was strange, the Kyuubi didn't try to take over him.

"I don't know why you're so angry, but drop this guy so we can go back to Fairy Tail already!" Natsu said with a grin.

Naruto sighed and dropped the terrified king. "Thanks Wendy-Chan, Natsu. I'm alright now." He then looked down at Faust, who squeaked upon eye contact. "Now what a gonna do we do with you?"

"N-n-no! You can't do this to me! I-I am the king of Edolas! Eternal magic shall be mine-Guh!" One swift chop to the neck and the noisy king was out cold.

Natsu and Wendy sweatdropped as Naruto proceeded to tie the old man up with ninja wire. 'Is he really calm?'

After he was done, Naruto stood back up and hopped off of the crippled Dorma Anim. "You can come out now Gajeel, the battle's over."

Gajeel stumbled out from his hiding spot, his face red as a tomato. "Tha-I was not hiding!"

"Then what were you doing?" Naruto asked as Natsu and Wendy hopped down next to him. They were both looking at Gajeel with different expressions. While Wendy was confused as to why someone as strong as Gajeel would hide from a fight, Natsu looked like he was about to explode with laughter because he already knew the reason.

The metal dragon slayer coughed into his hand. "I saw your little temper-tantrum and decided to wait till you cooled off a bit..."

Natsu burst out with laughter and pointed at the uncomfortable teen. "Hah, you were scared of Naruto! What a chicken!"

As the the two began to fight, Naruto turned to Wendy. "Hey Wendy-Chan, where's Happy and Carla?"

Wendy thought about it before pointing towards the direction he had come from. "We told them to go and find you guys. They must be with Lucy-San and the others by now."

"Down there, huh?" Naruto said as an idea began to form in his mind.

"With Carla and Happy gone, how are we supposed to get back down?" Wendy asked and Naruto grinned.

"Just leave that to me."

* * *

"Why is this happening!?" Lucy cried as she dove behind a tree for cover.

Just as Naruto had left, a bunch of Exceed had flown by them and an army of royal soldiers followed right after them. To make matters worse, Mystogan and Lily had both disappeared. Leaving Juvia, Jellal, and herself to fight off against a literal army of soldiers.

"I don't even have any magic power left to fight!"

To Lucy's relief, a familiar voice called out to her in the middle of the ruckus.

"Lucy!"

The exhausted celestial mage looked towards the voice and saw a little blue cat flying towards her. "Happy! Am I glad to see you! Where's everyone else?"

Happy slowed to a stop right in front of her. "Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel are up on there defending all of the Exceed. Carla and I came looking for you guys!" He then looked around for the others, spotting Carla who was with Juvia, and Jellal who was blitzing through some soldiers with his speed. "Where's Naruto?"

Lucy ducked her head as an explosion went off somewhere in the distance. "He flew up there to go find you guys."

Happy gawked. "EH!? Naruto can fly!"

"Yeah, it was a surprise to all of us. He apparently mastered Freed's rune magic and used it to make wings." Lucy said while looking around for another safe place to hide.

'Freed does have the ability to fly so that makes sense...' Happy thought when a magic beam shot passed him. "Wah!"

"There's an Exceed! Get him!"

"Oh no, they found us!" Lucy screamed and they ran towards Juvia and Carla, who joined them in their escape.

"Ah, Juvia cannot muster her true power without Naruto-Sama around!" Juvia said as she wept anime tears.

'Are you sure you're not just out of magic?' Lucy thought with a deadpanned expression as Jellal pulled up next to them.

"What's the plan?"

"We run!" Lucy said and pointed towards the entrance of the forest.

"Great plan!" Carla said sarcastically. "Where is Naruto anyways?"

Just as the group made it to the edge of the forest, they noticed the soldiers that had been chasing them were retreating back into the forest. Some of them were shouting and pointing towards the sky.

That was when they heard something above them.

Lucy took one glance upwards before her eyes bulged out of her skull. "Get down!" She yelled and pushed everyone behind a large tree.

 **BOOM!**

The ground shook tremendously as something landed just outside of the forest, sending up a massive wave of dust.

The tree they were hiding behind groaned as the force of the tremor threatened to knock it down, but its roots held strong and managed to stay grounded.

" **Grr... You got some nerve calling me to be your landing pad brat."**

"Hehe, sorry about that chief toad. But we're up against an army, and what better way to fight an army than with an army of our own?"

Lucy opened her eyes and there stood Naruto, on top of the unbelievably large toad that was Gamabunta. She could also see Wendy holding onto the ninja from behind like her life depended on it.

"Naruto!" The group yelled and waved to get his attention.

Naruto looked down and gave the three mages and two cats a thumbs up, he then looked behind him where Natsu and Gajeel were holding onto Gamabunta's vest for dear life. Gajeel was holding onto Faust so the man wouldn't fly off since he was all tied up. "You guys okay?"

Upon hearing his voice, Gajeel sprang up and got up in Naruto's face. "What the hell man!? You could have at least warned us before summoning this guy and jumping off the island like that!"

Naruto sent the angered teen flat look. "I told you to brace yourself didn't I? And look, Wendy's fine, see?" He said and gestured to the little girl, whose face was burrowed into his jacket.

"I-I'm fine..." Wendy mumbled.

" **Would you quit your babbling and get off my back!"** Gamabunta's voice boomed.

Naruto chuckled and swooped Wendy off of her feet before jumping off of his strongest summon.

Landing on the ground as softly as he could, Naruto placed the girl down. When She didn't let go of his jacket, he pat her on the head. "Sorry Wendy-Chan, that was the last jump."

She still looked a bit dazed, but Wendy managed a small nod. "It's okay... But I think I prefer to fly with Carla."

Naruto laughed as Lucy and the others ran up to them.

"What did you do to Wendy!? Look at her, she's all shaken up!" Carla demanded and flew into Naruto's face.

"Wah! I didn't do anything!" Naruto said as he tried to get keep the angry cat from clawing out his eyes.

"Carla, I'm fine! Naruto-San came helped us when the king attacked us!" Wendy said and brought the white cat to her arms.

"Well, if you say so." Carla said and calmed down.

'Crazy psycho cat...' Naruto thought with a twitching eyebrow.

"What did happen up there?" Lucy asked as Happy flew up to Gamabunta to help the others down.

While Naruto explained what had happened on Extalia, Juvia was starting at Wendy who was still holding onto Naruto's jacket with one hand and holding Carla with the other. 'The power of a little girl is frightening...'

Wendy unconsciously moved closer to Naruto to the point where she was almost hiding behind him. A jealous Juvia was quite scary.

"Oh, and we brought the king." Naruto added as Gajeel landed behind him while holding Faust over his shoulder, taking Lucy by surprise. "So now we can end this and go back to Earthland."

" **Here comes the enemy. Looks like they finally grew a backbone."** Gamabunta warned as the sounds of shouting grower louder throughout the forest.

Soldiers began to pour out of the forest. Some flew down from the sky, surrounding the group with their winged beasts. The monsters started growling and snarling at Gamabunta, and he grunted in amusement.

" **You wanna go, punks?"**

'Those things are about the same size as the chief toad...' Naruto thought as he sized up the Legion monsters. But it didn't matter, Gamabunta could wipe the floor with them.

But before they could reach them and attack, Gajeel stepped forward and held Faust into the air. "Nobody move! Unless you want something to happen to your precious king?"

This completely stopped the soldiers and they began to mutter amongst themselves.

"They have the king?"

"Then that means Dorma Anim was defeated!"

"We're finished..."

"Don't stop you fools! Kill these people, even if you have to kill me! This is a direct order from your king!" Faust yelled at the top of his lungs to get their attention. "We've come too far to stop now! For the sake of eternal magic! Kill them!"

"Ah, shut up!" Gajeel said and smacked the king upside the head.

"Damn... I knew I should have gagged him." Naruto said when the soldiers began to charge at them again. 'Oh well, I really needed to blow off some steam anyway. "Are you gonna stay for the fight, chief toad?"

" **Might as well. It's been awhile since I last fought an army."** Gamabunta said and touched the hilt of his dosu blade before hoping towards the group of Legion.

Lucy looked at the behemoth with a slightly frightened expression. 'Is he implying that he's fought entire armies before?'

Naruto re-summoned his sage cloak and slipped it on. "Okay then, I'll leave those monsters to you then. Everyone else, let's show these guys what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail!" Naruto roared before crossing his fingers. **"Taju: Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

In a series of poofs, an army of Naruto's came into existence met the soldiers half way.

"So many Naruto-Samas!" Juvia with eyes like saucers.

Lucy sweatdropped. "You're drooling Juvia..."

Wendy beamed at the sheer number of clones. "Naruto-San really is amazing! No wonder he's called Fairy Tail's one man army in the weekly sorcerer."

"This is why Naruto is one of Fairy Tail's most powerful members." Happy stated proudly.

"Carla rolled her eyes. "Why didn't he just do this in the first place?"

Despite their best efforts, the clones failed to stop some of the Edolas soldiers from getting through. So the mages sprung into action.

" **Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"** Natsu whipped his arms while dashing past a couple troops, causing an explosion of fire to erupt behind him.

Gajeel had to jump out of the way to avoid getting burned. "Hey, watch where you shoot those flames dumb-ass!"

"L-let's fight the enemies, not each other..." Wendy said, trying to be the peacekeeper.

"Why me!?" Lucy screamed as she ran from one of the winged monsters. Some of the clones were trying to help, but the Legion proved to be too strong for them.

" **Don't worry girly, I'll take care of this!"** Gamabunta yelled and jumped on top of the beast, and it roared in defiance as it tried to shake him off. **"Stay down welp!"**

The ground shook violently as the two giants wrestled, Lucy lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"You okay?" Naruto asked and helped the girl up.

"Yeah, thanks. The number of enemies is a bit overwhelming-Hey look out!" Lucy said and pointed behind him.

Naruto spun around to see two soldiers that had gotten past his clones get swept away by a wave of water.

"How dare they attack Naruto-Sama from behind...!" Juvia said rather darkly, but quickly changed her demeanor back to a happy one when Naruto looked at her and smiled.

"That was a close one, thanks Juvia!" Naruto said and ran off to join the fight.

Juvia smiled sweetly at the ninja before looking at Lucy smugly. "Four for Juvia, one for Lucy."

Lucy smiled bitterly. 'You're so lucky I'm out of magic right now...'

Jellal blasted a few troops with a beam of magic before turning to Naruto, who had just gotten done knocking out a few soldiers himself. "They're starting to get past your clones, I trust you have a plan Naruto-San?"

Naruto was about to answer when he suddenly grinned. "Don't worry, reinforcements have arrived." As he finished his sentence, a series of vines burst out of the ground, wrapping themselves around any nearby Legion.

"What is that?" Jellal said as something massive started coming out of the ground.

"That, is our reinforcements." Naruto said and crossed his arms. "About time you guys showed up!"

When the giant tree-like building finished rising, the Fairy Tail insignia could be seen on a large rectangular cloth.

People started walking out of the building's entrance and all eyes were on them.

"Fairy Tail, charge!" Lucy Ashley yelled and the guild charged the surprised soldiers all at once.

"Edo-Lucy!" Lucy said and ran up to her other self.

"Hey Earth-Lucy, sorry we took so long. It took a little longer to convince these people to fight."

Lucy shook her head and smiled. "I'm just glad you all came to help!"

Lucy Ashley leaned closer. "So? Where's Naruto?"

"Just look around." Lucy said and laughed awkwardly.

"You mean..." Edo-Lucy gawked. "Damn. When you said he was a one man army, you weren't kidding."

The members of Fairy Tail began to fight together with the clones and eventually started to push them back. The once held advantage in numbers swiftly began to flip as more and more soldiers fell.

" **Hmph! These things weren't even worth my time!"** Gamabunta said as he cut down the last Legion.

"All of our legion have been defeated, and now we're outnumbered!" One of the soldiers said fearfully.

"Retreat! Everybody run for it!" Another said and started running towards the royal city.

"Yeah, get out of here!" Natsu yelled as the remaining troops fled.

Naruto sighed and dispelled his clones. "It's finally over, huh?"

"I'm going back now, kid." Gamabunta said and Naruto sent him a wave before the chief of toads disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Hey there."

Naruto turned around and grinned when he saw Wendy's Edolas counterpart walking towards him. "Hey, glad you could make it."

"So, Juvia really is in love with Naruto?" Edo-Juvia questioned her Earthland self.

"Very much so! Juvia loves Naruto-Sama so much!" Juvia said while holding a hand to her heart.

"Well, that's fine. But only if Juvia is victorious!"

Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Victorious?"

Edo-Juvia leaned in closer. "Juvia knows all about it... All the rivals in love..." She said and Juvia's eyes widened before she nodded fiercely.

"Oh. My. God. There's TWO Juvia-Chans!" Edo-Gray screamed before dancing around in bliss. "Oh what a glorious day it is to see two of my precious Juvia-Chan!"

As the overdressed teen began to rant about his love, the two Juvias began to quiver with anger. Both for different reasons.

"Now my love for Juvia-Chan has doubled-no, trippled-Buh!" He wasn't given the chance to finish his sentence when he was suddenly punched in the face by both Juvias.

"Juvia hates Gray!"

"Juvia is not in love with Gray!"

They both wiped their hands and huffed before looking at each other. "Maybe we're not so different after all."

'Looks like they're getting along...' Edo-Wendy thought with an awkward smile. She then turned back to Naruto to see him smiling at her, causing her heart to skip a beat. "W-what? Did I make a weird face?"

Naruto shook his head chuckled. "No, sorry. I was just thinking how funny this place is." He said while looking past her at the Wendy of Earthland walking around seeing if people needed healing while Carla pestered her to sit down and rest. "To have another version of the same person, it's kinda weird ya know?"

The older looking Wendy stifled a laugh. "I guess it is. Did you ever find the other you?"

"Er-no, I didn't." Naruto said a bit awkwardly, since none of the people here knew he wasn't even from Earthland to begin with.

"Hm, that's too bad. I can't help but wonder what kind of person he'd be. I'll have to keep an eye out for him won't I?"

"Yeah, I wonder..." Naruto said and scratched the back of his head, not sure what to say.

"So you're the one that stole the other me's hear-mmph!"

Naruto and Edo-Wendy turned to see Lucy gagging the other Lucy.

"H-hey Naruto! This is Lucy Ashley! You know, the other me?" Lucy said while straining a smile before whispering into her other self's ear. 'I don't want him to know I like him! So would you please not straight up say it?'

Lucy Ashley rolled her eyes before she was finally freed. 'Sheesh, the other me is a helluva lot stronger when her love for this guy is involved.'

"Hey other Lucy." Naruto said casually before stiffening when the girl started glaring at him. She wasn't really glaring at him, Edo-Lucy was just sizing him up.

Knowing what was about to happen, Edo-Wendy sighed and started walking away. "Well, I'm gonna go see what the other me is up to. See ya."

Naruto began to sweat bullets when the Edo-Lucy started walking around him, humming as she did so. 'Shoot! Did I do something to make her angry?'

Lucy sweatdropped. 'What are you doing?'

"Are all of those rumors about you beating Jet and Droy are true?" Edo-Lucy suddenly asked, and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Um, yeah I guess..."

"And you can also made that army of clones..." Lucy Ashley said before nodding her head. "Okay, you have my permission."

Naruto and Lucy both looked at each other. "Huh?"

"I said, you have my permission to be with the other me."

"Huh!?" Lucy yelled as her reddened in embarrassment.

"What? I'm not just gonna allow some wimp to be with the other me." The other Lucy said with a shrug.

'Oh, so that's what this was about...' Naruto said and grinned. "Don't worry, Lucy's safe with me."

'He doesn't get it at all!' Lucy thought and hung her head down.

"So? How far have you two gotten? I heard you live together back in Earthland." Edo-Lucy asked teasingly, but it only caused Naruto just as much confusion as it brought Lucy embarrassment.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "Er... We've been to Mt. Hakobe, but you probably don't know where that is. So here, maybe? It is another dimension after all."

Lucy Ashley was completely at a loss of words. "...Hahahaha! Looks like you got your work cut out for you! But as far as I can tell, he's a keeper! Hahaha!"

Lucy sweatdropped. "Thanks..."

Naruto frowned in confusion. Did he say something weird? 'Girls sure are confusing...'

Suddenly, a grinding noise filled everyone's ears as a gaping hole opened up in the sky.

"What is it this time!?"

"This feeling..." Naruto said as everyone began to panic.

"What is it Naruto?" Lucy asked and Naruto looked at her.

"It's Anima, but it's weird... All of the magic is-"

"My magic stopped working!" A member of the Edolas Fairy Tail screamed.

"Mine won't work as well!"

"What are we gonna do!?"

Naruto watched with wide eyes as the mages of Edolas began acting as though the world was ending. 'No, their world is ending...' He thought and looked up at the hole in the sky where all of the magic was going. 'At this rate, all of this worlds magic will be gone within the hour...' To these people, losing magic would be the same as Naruto losing the use of his chakra.

As he made these thoughts, the floating islands began to fall.

"This is crazy..." Lucy thought before turning to Naruto. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is stopping the Anima, but..." Naruto's voice trailed off.

"Only Mystogan knows how to do that..." Lucy finished his sentence. Was there really nothing they could do?

"E-excuse me? Mages of Earthland?"

Naruto and Lucy looked down to see a black and white Exceed staring up at them with a troubled expression.

…

"Eh!?" The members of Earthland's Fairy Tail gasped when Nadi explained what was happening.

"So that's where Mystogan and that cat man went." Naruto said and frowned. The country was in chaos and in order to bring back the peace, there needed to be a hero and a villain?

Nadi gave a shaky nod. "Yes. Please, there must be another way. No one else has to get hurt."

Natsu stepped forward and gave the cat a thumbs up. "You don't have to worry anymore, we'll take care everything!"

Naruto grabbed the teen's shoulder. "Oi, hold on a second Natsu."

Natsu grinned. "I've got an idea."

* * *

"Gahahaha! I am the great demon lord Dragneel! Lay waste to this town my faithful servants, Redfox and Marvell!" Natsu shouted gleefully and shot a stream of fire into the air, causing the towns people to scream in fear.

"What about me, oh great demon lord? What should I do?" Naruto asked in a monotone voice.

"Just stay there and look menacing, my nine tailed pet!" Natsu replied before cackling with laughter.

"Menacing!? What's menacing about THIS!?" Naruto growled while gesturing to his costume. He was dressed in a comical fox costume that had nine tails attached to it. But the worst part was that the head of the getup looked dopey. "This isn't scary! It's a joke!"

"I beg to differ, Uzumaki. It suits you! Gihihi" Gajeel said in a mocking tone, causing the ninja's eyebrow to twitch. 'Serves you right for making me wear that ridiculous costume!'

'I'm sorry, Naruto-San...' Wendy thought as she continued to break stuff. 'He only agreed to wearing the costume because I asked him too.'

"These demons are scary!" One of the people said.

"But the pet isn't so bad." Someone else said and the townspeople all agreed.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as a red demonic aura began to surround him. "Fine..."

"Now, go get them!" Natsu ordered, his grin growing wider.

Naruto grumbled to himself before he jumped off the building and onto the ground, surprising any nearby people with the feat. 'Well, better at least make this believable...' Running on all fours, Naruto ran throughout the town, trying his best to scare people with his ridiculous costume.

He eventually found himself alone in an empty plaza, the place where the lacrima that once held Jellal was kept. "Whoops, looks like I've gone too far. Might as well take this stupid thing off." And he was about to do so when he heard a voice.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned around and saw Edo-Wendy walking out of a nearby building. If he recalled correctly, it was the safe house he and the others had stayed at before they tried infiltrating the castle through the mines. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Just checking up on our client here, you guys are causing quite a riot. That's quite the costume you're wearing." The woman said and the two walked to a nearby bench to sit.

Naruto blushed furiously and tore the fox costume off. "Damn it! I forgot I was still wearing this stupid thing!"

Wendy giggled softly. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

Naruto took the remains of the costume and threw them into a nearby trashcan. "No, it was terrible! I only wore that thing because Wendy-Chan asked me to!"

This brought a smile to the girl's face. "You sure got a soft spot for little me."

"You try saying no to those puppy-dog eyes..." Naruto said and sulked childishly. "But the worst part is, everyone here is going to remember me as the adorable fox pet of the demon king."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, everyone back at the guild will remember you as the one who broke us out of our shell." She said with a small smile. "We were really touched by your words."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really? What did I say?"

This time it was the Edolas Wendy's turn to raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'what did I say'? How abandoning your friends made you worse than trash, or how only those who protect their precious people could truly become strong?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, I kinda just said the first thing that came to mind. Like I said before, those are the philosophies of people I know."

Edo-Wendy blinked. 'So this is why lil me thinks so highly of him...'

"Well, I better head back to the others." Naruto said and stood up.

"I'll walk with you." Wendy said and the two walked through the empty streets, which was surprising since they were just crawling with people minutes prior of their conversation. Maybe everything was settle and the plan worked?

"Are you gonna be okay without magic?" Naruto asked as they walked.

She couldn't see his face since she was walking slightly behind him, but could hear the concern in his voice. They'd only known each other for a couple days, a week at most, and he was genuinely concerned for her. "It'll take some getting used to... But I'm sure we'll all be fine."

Naruto nodded silently. While it wasn't directly his fault this world was losing it's magic, he couldn't help but feel bad for them. After all, he couldn't imagine what it would be like if he suddenly lost all of his chakra.

"Hey, looks like it's all over."

"Huh?" Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and saw a crowd of people surrounding Mystogan and Natsu, the dragon slayer was on laying on his back looking defeated. "I guess it is, huh?"

"I guess this means your all going back now, back to Earthland I mean." Edo-Wendy said.

"Yeah, I guess. Though I'm not really sure how we're gonna do it-"

"Hey, they're glowing!"

"Is it because the prince defeated them?"

Natsu, along with all of the mages of Earthland, started glowing. They then began to float and started floating towards the Anima.

Naruto watched as everyone drifted into the sky. He could feel the Anima pulling at the magic inside of the people with magic in them. "I guess this is how we're leaving. Dang, the Anima really is taking all the magic from the world-Mmf!" Naruto's eyes shot open when Edo-Wendy pulled him over to her and kissed him on the lips.

The kiss lasted a couple seconds before they broke free from each other.

"You know, this whole we've known each other you never called me by name..." Wendy whispered softly.

"Wha...?" Naruto was bewildered at what just happened.

Wendy opened her eyes and smiled. "Thank you, for giving our guild the courage to move forward." She then looked up at the swirling sky. "You should probably go now, the Anima looks like its about to close."

Naruto's mind was racing. She just kissed him! Why did she do that!?

That's when he realized what the girl had just said. The Anima! It was closing and wasn't picking him up! 'Oh man... If I don't hurry, I'm gonna be stuck here!' And since there would be no more magic in the world, that meant no way to go back to Earthland.

 **'Grr... Focus on absorbing the magic the Anima is pulling to get yourself up there!'** The Kyuubi's voice boomed in his mind.

'Wait, Kyuubi? How are you-'

 **'Never mind that! Now hurry up before we're stuck here!'**

Naruto shook his head and began to focus on absorbing the magic around him. Because the Anima was pulling all of the world's magic into it, he was able to gather just enough magic to be picked up by the Anima.

"Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked down to see Edo-Wendy waving at him.

"Would you do me a favor and pass a message to lil me?"

"Sure!" After hearing the message, Naruto grinned and sent the blue haired woman a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Wendy!"

Edo-Wendy smiled. "Ah... What am I doing? Falling in love with a guy just as he's leaving."

Naruto's smile faded as he neared the Anima. Looking up, he noticed another person go into the dark hole before he too flew inside, and his view went black.

* * *

 **A/N: A long chapter for a long wait! Sorry about that guys!**

 **To those of you who are curious and didn't see the status on my profile, I had gone on vacation to Hawaii for a week and a half! Yay! I really wanted to enjoy it to the fullest since it was probably going to be the only chance I'll ever be there. :p**

 **Thank you all for your patience and I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	32. Friendships and Rivalries

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: Sorry for the wait! Enjoy!**

* * *

In the deepest part of time and space, beyond the very concept of death, an old man sighed as he watched the previous events transpire. The old man was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the second person to have the sacred gift of chakra, but was commonly known as the Sage of Six Paths.

"I never expected Kurama and Gyūki to ever visit 'that place' again... But perhaps Ashura's current reincarnation will be the one to mend the hatred that has plagued both worlds for centuries. Despite all the hatred that has been aimed at him he has never given up or loss hope. Despite not quite being there, I can tell Naruto does not see tailed beasts as merely weapons like my mother did. Perhaps he will be worthy of inheriting my chakra. I will continue to watch you Naruto Uzumaki..."

* * *

'Ah, it feels good to be back in Earthland...' Naruto thought as he felt the overwhelming amount of magic and natural energies surround him. Although he could also feel something else, he felt strong gusts of wind and water vapor ripping past his face. Because he was falling.

"AHH! Why did that thing have to drop me from the sky!?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs while flailing his arms and legs fruitlessly. Thinking quickly as the ground grew closer and closer, Naruto entered sage mode and brought his feet down before shutting his eyes and bracing himself. This was going to hurt.

 **Thud!**

Naruto opened his eyes in surprise, the fall didn't hurt as much as he had expected.

"Well that wasn't so bad."

Looking around to find out where he was he noticed it was currently night, and raining. In fact, it was pouring.

"I should probably go find the other-" Naruto cut himself short as the sound of rustling bushes caught his attention. 'Just when I thought everything was finally over…'

Kunai in hand, Naruto silently crept towards the bush. He could sense it was a human, and that they hah magical power.

"Ouch... Why'd I have to fall from the sky?" A feminine voice complained from behind the vegetation.

'Wait, I think I know that voice...' Naruto looked over the bush and just as he had expected, sat Lisanna who looked up at him in mild surprise.

"Naruto-San?"

"I thought that was you." Naruto said and helped the girl up to her feet before smiling. "So you decided to come back in the end, huh?"

"Well with the Anima taking all the magic from Edolas, I didn't have much of a choice did I?" Lisanna said half-jokingly before smiling sadly. "But I decided that I wanted to come back, for the sake of my siblings and-" She was cut off when Naruto suddenly shouted.

"Oh yeah! Mira-Chan is gonna freak!" Naruto yelled and grabbed Lisanna's hand before dragging the surprised girl out of the bushes and through the forest.

"H-hey! Hold on a second!" Lisanna tried but Naruto just shook his head and kept pulling.

"No way! I gotta get you to your siblings as asap!"

Lisanna sighed in defeat. This guy was just as impatient as Natsu.

* * *

 **Kardia Cathedrial…**

Mirajane and Elfman both stood in front of their little sister's grave. Neither spoke a word. The memories of that dreadful day flooded their minds. But neither shed a single tear, because they knew it would only make Lisanna sad.

"We should go back, Nee-Chan." Elfman said as he continued to hold the umbrella over him and his sister.

"Just a bit longer."

Closing her eyes, Mirajane took in a slow but deep breath. She listened to the rain as it beat down on their umbrella. 'It's been two years now, huh Lisanna? So much has happened since then. We all miss you. Especially Natsu, even if he doesn't show it.' She thought before blushing slightly. 'Ah, speaking of Natsu… I met a boy. His name is Naruto-Kun. He just recently joined the guild a couple months ago, and he's quite popular amongst the female members. Even I…'

Her thoughts trailed off as she heard the sounds of splashing in the distance. Who would be running around down on a day like this? If they didn't get inside soon they would surely catch a cold.

"…ra-Nee! Elf-Niichan!"

Mirajane and Elfman's eyes shot open as a familiar voice filled their ears. A voice that they thought they would never hear again.

Turning around, the Strauss siblings saw the youngest member of their family sprinting towards them with tears streaming down her face.

"Lisanna!?"

* * *

Naruto watched the family reunion with a smile on his face. 'Good for you, Mira-Chan…' He thought as the three mages cried happily in each other's arms. Wiping his own eyes and turning around, Naruto began to walk away. 'I should let them catch up. Don't wanna get in the way-'

 **Whomp!**

"Oomf!" Naruto grunted as a body plowed into him.

"Nawuto-Swama~!" Juvia's muffled voiced cried with her face buried in the startled blonde's chest. She then looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. "Juvia thought she lost Naruto-Sama forever!"

"Lost me…?" Naruto started before blinking in realization. 'Oh yeah, I was late to leaving and almost didn't make it into the Anima…' Pulling the sobbing girl off of him, he pat her on the head reassuringly. "Sorry I made you worry so much, Juvia. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!"

Juvia sniffled. "…Promise?"

Naruto grinned a foxy grin, earning a blush from the water mage. "Of course!" He said just before someone punched him in the arm. Wincing slightly at the surprise attack, Naruto turned to see Lucy standing in front of him. Her bangs were covering her face but he could already tell the girl was in distress. "Lucy…"

Juvia took a step back to give the two some space. Lucy may be her rival in love, but she would let the girl have this moment. But only this one time.

Lucy began to tremble. "I thought you were gone…" She started and looked into the ninja's eyes. She was also crying. "I thought I was never going to see you again!" Lucy half-shouted and began to hit Naruto in the chest.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto said and frowned deeply as the girl continued to hit him. He hated seeing Lucy like this. Whenever she cried, it brought a strange pain to his heart. When he had found her all battered and bruised when Phantom Lord had attacked, and when she had stopped him from beating the living tar out of Gajeel, it had broken his heart.

When Lucy finally stopped, she rested her head on his chest and sobbed. "Don't… Scare me like that…"

Naruto nodded silently and they stayed like that for a while, until someone coughed into their hand bring them back to reality.

Naruto looked up and saw the rest of the group staring at them. Natsu and Happy were both grinning slyly while Gajeel grunted and looked away. Jellal sent him a nod and Carla was shaking her head. Wendy was twiddling her thumbs and looked like she was nervous about something, and who was that little black cat and why did it remind him of that hulking mass of an Exceed back in Edolas?

"They like each other~" Natsu and Happy both teased.

Lucy instantly jumped back from her teammate and wiped her tears. "A-a-anyway! How did you get back in the first place?"

Seeing Wendy had made Naruto remember his kiss with her Edolas counterpart, so he had missed what boy and the cat had said. He had blushed from the memory so everyone thought it was from being teased. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I just absorbed some of the magic that was being sucked into the Anima and it carried me up."

"As expected of Naruto-Sama!" Juvia chirped and latched onto his arm, causing the teen to laugh nervously.

Wendy tugged onto Naruto's sleeve shyly. "It's a good thing you were able to make it back Naruto-San." She said before flinching when she noticed Juvia sending her a challenging glare. The young dragon slayer almost backed off, but gained a determined look and stood her ground.

Surprised to see the normally timid girl act so assertive, Juvia took it as an act of war. Snuggling in closer, she used her cutest voice. "Ah, Naruto-Sama is so cool~!" She cooed, and Naruto turned a shade darker.

"W-what are you talking about, Juvia? I'm not that cool…" Naruto said rather awkwardly as he tried to keep his nose from bleeding out. But with his arm firmly placed between Juvia's bust, it was getting to be a little difficult.

'That's not fair Juvia-San!' Wendy pouted as the older woman smirked at her victoriously, but she didn't back down and looked up at flustered ninja. "Naruto-San really is amazing though. I wouldn't have known what to do if I didn't have any magic."

"Hehe! It would take a lot more than a magic portal to get rid of me!" Naruto boasted before grimacing internally. 'Although if it weren't for the Kyuubi, I'd still be stuck in Edolas…' Speaking of the Kyuubi, he'd have to talk to that fur ball later to see how he was able to talk to him without being in his mindscape. Naruto could already feel the migraine forming.

"Juvia! Let go of Naruto! He's probably tired from everything that's happened!" Lucy shouted in annoyance, but Juvia was too busy "battling" Wendy. 'Besides… You do realize you're picking a fight with a little kid, right?'

Not to mention it was still downright pouring. They were definitely catching colds tonight.

"Well anyway, it's good that you made it back in one piece…" Jellal said, trying to be the peacekeeper. But when they kept on at it, the cloaked man sweat dropped. "Am I… No longer relevant?"

Gajeel put a supportive hand and the man's shoulder, completely understanding what it felt like to be ignored. He then noticed someone walking towards them. Rolling his eyes, he began to walk to the guild. "I've had enough of this. C'mon Lily." Gajeel muttered and the little black cat raised an eyebrow before he shrugged and began to follow the iron dragon slayer.

"Naruto-Kun…"

Naruto got loose from the two blue haired girls and turned around, but was surprised when Mirajane suddenly embraced him in a hug. "Mira… Chan?"

"I think we should probably go…" Natsu whispered to Happy, who nodded in agreement. The two began tip-toeing in the direction of the guild, knowing full-well what was about to go down.

Jellal also began to go to the guild, deciding that he would try to go and find Erza. 'Good luck, Naruto-San.'

Mirajane didn't say anything and just continued to hug Naruto. Lisanna had told her everything. How she had been taken to Edolas, how there was another Fairy Tail, and how Naruto had ultimately been the reason why she wanted to come back. "Naruto-Kun… Thank you…"

Feeling a need to support her, Naruto returned the hug.

Lucy watched the scene in front of her with wide eyes. 'Mira-San… I knew it! You do…'

Elfman and Lisanna both had shocked expressions on their faces, surprised to see their sister hugging Naruto so affectionately.

Wendy and Carla were also watching with wide eyes.

But the one who was surprised the most, was Juvia.

The rain began to pour even harder as the water mage's mind raced, the image of Naruto and Mirajane embracing each other burning into her eyes. She felt betrayed. Mirajane was supposed to be the one girl in the guild that would support her love, the one girl that she could trust. But what she saw in front of her shattered that trust in an instant.

But in the end, all Juvia could do was run away as fast as she could.

"Juvia!?" Naruto said when he saw her suddenly take off crying.

'Please forgive me, Juvia…' Mira thought as she watched Naruto chase after the fleeting girl. 'But I just can't hold back these feelings anymore.'

* * *

 **Fairy Tail…**

With Lisanna's return, Fairy Tail once again turned into a house of celebration. People were dancing, drinking, and singing with joy. Work was the last thing on their minds.

"The guild is different than I remember. Your vibe is also a bit different too, Mira-Nee." Lisanna said as she looked around the unfamiliar interior.

"Is that so…" Mira said with a smile, before looking over her shoulder towards the other side of the bar.

'Mira-Nee… So you like Naruto-San, huh?' Lisanna mused to herself, having noticed her sister's glances at the blond ninja. She felt bad for Juvia, having been on good terms with the Juvia of Edolas. But Mirajane was her sister, and she was going to do everything she could to support her.

Naruto was talking with his Konoha peers. It turned out he was actually from another dimension! Not Earthland, or Edolas, but a world of shinobi called the Elemental Nations. Fairy Tail was truly an eventful guild.

"Sorry about not telling you guys about Bee-Ossan, he asked me not to say anything." Naruto apologized rather sheepishly.

Kakashi sighed. "I figured. But I can't say the same about Lady Tsunade, we're going to have to file this in our next report." After Killer Bee-Dono's disappearance, the Raikage had been quite… a handful." Knowing that the Raikage's brother was alive was definitely big news. That meant Madara had lied when he had claimed that they had the eight-tails and had said that to scare them. The more tailed beasts out of the enemy's hands, the better.

Naruto flinched at the mentioning of the Hokage. 'The old lady's gonna kill me…'

"What bothers me the most is that Bee-San was also brought here by a scroll…" Yamato said before looking at his senior. "I think it's safe to say they were both made by this Zeref person Makarov-Dono had told us about?"

Kakashi nodded. Black mage Zeref, an evil sorcerer of the past that could be considered Earthland's equivalent to Madara Uchiha. "I looked at the fox scroll, but it's far too advanced for my understanding."

It was a summoning scroll, that much was obvious. There was a series of fūinjutsu seals underneath the painting of the Kyuubi. But when Kakashi had tried putting chakra into it, nothing had happened. He remembered Naruto saying that Lucy had put magic into the scroll, which resulted in summoning him to Earthland. So that only meant one thing.

The fūinjutsu could only be activated by magic.

Kakashi and Yamato stared at the old scroll and sighed. If only Master Jiraiya was still alive. Even if the sannin couldn't figure out how the scroll worked, he still had more knowledge on fūinjutsu than the two of them combined and would have been able to come up with some sort of solution.

While the two Jōnin pondered with their thoughts, Rock Lee had taken the opportunity to berate Naruto with questions.

"Tell me Naruto-Kun! Were the opponents you faced in Edolas strong?"

Naruto took a step back from his hot-blooded friend. "Well, I fought with the Edolas Erza a couple times. So yeah, they were pretty strong."

Lee visibly shook with excitement. "Oooooh! If only I had been there to back you up! Truly they must have been worthy opponents!"

"It would have been nice to have the extra help. The whole time I felt like the whole world was against us." Tenten said.

"Oh yeah, Tenten. I heard you were with Gajeel the whole time. How was that?" Naruto asked and the weapon specialist shook her head.

"The guy's a total brute. He's crude, insensitive, and don't get me started with the amount of times he left me behind!" Tenten yelled, causing Naruto and Lee to take a step away.

Leaving Tenten to calm herself down, Naruto then turned to Sakura and Hinata. The two had been strangely quiet during the conversation. Hinata he could understand; the timid girl didn't talk much anyway. But he had been expecting Sakura to yell at him for something.

"Hey Sakura, Hinata. What's up?"

Having heard her name, Hinata jumped a bit before stuttering a response. "A-ah… Sorry Naruto-Kun, it's nothing. It's just…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around the guild hall.

"We were wondering where Lucy and the water girl were?" Sakura finished, her voice turning slightly bitter at the mentioning of Juvia.

"When we got back, Juvia ran home saying she wasn't feeling good. Lucy also went back to the apartment to take a bath." Naruto explained with a frown. The two had seemed to be depressing over something. "There was something off with them and I can't help but feel like it's my fault..."

'This guy…' Sakura thought while pinching the bridge of her nose.

Hinata frowned, Juvia stuck to Naruto like glue. So something big must have happened either while they were still in Edolas, or when they got back. Judging by the constant looks she noticed Naruto was getting from Mirajane, she assumed it was the latter.

Naruto blinked when he suddenly remembered something, he then gained a serious expression and turned to Sakura. "Sakura-Chan. I saw Sasuke."

This immediately caught the attention of all six ninjas.

Sakura's eyes softened for a moment before she too turned serious. "What happened?"

Naruto paused for a moment as he studied his friend's expression, before nodding. "He was with an Akatsuki member when he attacked us."

Kakashi sighed. "So he's still working with the Akatsuki."

Naruto nodded grimly. "Though something weird happened when we fought. We were about to fight seriously when… a bird came out of my throat."

"A… bird?" Yamato asked incredulously.

Naruto burned bright red, realizing just how stupid that must have sounded. "I know it sounds weird, but it was a black bird and it had a Sharingan!"

'A black bird with a Sharingan… A crow? It couldn't be….' Kakashi thought before shaking his head. "Well, whatever it was we should be grateful it stopped the two of you from fighting." Kakashi said, remembering what Naruto had declared the last time they saw Sasuke. "We can continue this tomorrow. I'm sure the guild members want to talk with Naruto."

Naruto turned around to see a crowd of mages waiting patiently for them to finish their conversation.

"Right…"

As Naruto was once again berated with questions, Kakashi glanced over at Sakura. She had a mixed expression of pain, anger, and sorrow. 'Poor girl…' Closing his eyes, Kakashi thought back to his early days with team seven. With the way things were turning out, would they really be able to go back to those times?

* * *

Erza gasped. "What!? The other Erza was an enemy of Fairy Tail!?"

"Yeah, but I don't think she was all bad inside. In fact, I'm sure she's turned a new leaf and is helping those in need now." Naruto said and the red head nodded approvingly.

"Hm. That's reassuring."

"Who was the strongest member of the guild over there?" Max asked eagerly. Since the members of the Fairy Tail in Edolas were apparently opposite to their own, maybe he was the strongest member of Fairy Tai1! In Edolas of course…

"Hm… Overall, I gotta say Jet." Naruto said and Max deflated while Jet laughed triumphantly. "But the scariest member was Juvia! I couldn't believe how mean she was! Juvia is so friendly I could never get used it!"

'This guy is too dense…' The mages all thought in unison.

"Hah! There really should be a limit to how dumb a guy can be!" Cana laughed and slapped her knee, causing the ninja's brow to twitch in annoyance.

But then Naruto grinned mischievously. "You really shouldn't have picked a fight with me now, Cana-Chan."

The mages near to the brunette slowly backed away as she began to emit a massive wave of killer intent. She hated being called "Chan".

"Oh~? And why is that?" Cana asked with a challenging grin on her face.

Naruto smirked before shrugging nonchalantly. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find out in the next issue of Weekly Sorcerers magazine?"

Cana studied the blonde's face. Was he claiming to have dirt on her? It was a known fact that she was an alcoholic, and she wore a bikini top everywhere she went. What dirt could he possibly have against her? She was about to call his bluff when the guild doors opened.

Lucy walked into the guild with a refreshed look on her face. "Ah~ Nothing beats a good bath after such a long..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed all eyes were on her. 'W-what is this…?'

Everyone then went back to their conversations when Naruto began walking over to the girl. "Hey Lucy, feeling better?"

Lucy nodded nervously while looking around, people were still glancing at them. 'What was that about? Oh no… Do they already know about Mira-San? The rumors are never going to stop now…'

Noticing the troubled look on Lucy's face, Naruto raised an eyebrow leaned closer. "Is something wrong?"

Blushing from the sudden closeness, Lucy took a step back and laughed awkwardly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine!"

Naruto laughed. "You really are weird sometimes, Lucy."

The celestial spirit mage pouted. "I don't want to hear that from a guy who lives off of noodles."

"Oh, that's right! Ramen!" Naruto suddenly yelled and ran towards the bar. "Mira-Chan! One bowl of miso ramen please!" When was the last time he had the sacred food of the gods? He had instant ramen cups with him in Edolas, but nothing could beat the real thing!

"Coming right up!" Mirajane chirped and walked towards the kitchen.

Lucy let out a tired sigh and took a seat next to her teammate at the bar.

"Ramen~! Ramen~! Ramen~!" Naruto chanted as he waited patiently for his meal.

'And you called me weird…' Lucy thought as Mira returned with a steaming bowl of noodles.

"Thank you~!" Naruto said and began to chow down.

"Hey Lucy!" Mirajane said cheerfully, but Lucy easily saw through the girl's mask. Her eyes clearly asked: _"Do you hate me now?"_

Lucy frowned. She had already sort of knew that Mira had feelings for Naruto, as it seemed the number of girls chasing after the dense ninja's affections were increasing. So how could she hate one of her friends?

She then smiled and spoke. "Hey Mira-San." Her answer: _"Of course not."_

Naruto watched the two as he slurped down his ramen, completely oblivious as to what was really going on.

Mirajane smiled warmly before walking back to the kitchen, knowing full-well that Naruto would be wanting more.

"Well, I'm going to go find Levy-Chan. See you later Naruto." Lucy said with a wave and left to go find her friend. She let out a sigh, today sure was emotionally tiring. With everything that had happened, she could really use some advice right about now.

"See ya!" Naruto said before he gulped down the last of the soup and let out a satisfied sigh.

"You should really cut back on that stuff. Too much ramen is bad for your health."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched and he turned around to find Gray smirking at him. "And you should really put some clothes on.

Gray looked at himself and found that he was only wearing his boxers. "Ah, crap! When did this happen!?"

Naruto laughed as he watched the teen frantically searched for his clothes.

After gathering his missing garments, Gray muttered something under his breath and took a seat next to the laughing blonde. "So? What was Edolas like? I've been hearing it's completely opposite of our world."

Naruto wiped a stray tear and thought back to the events in the alternate dimension. "Hm… Well it wasn't all opposite I guess. There wasn't an Edo-Naruto causing mass destruction everywhere he went."

Gray snorted. "You destroy things almost as much as Natsu, and that guy destroyed a harbor. The opposite of you would probably be a neat-freak butler that that eats anything but ramen."

Naruto smiled bitterly as a tick-mark formed on his forehead. "Oh yeah? Well the Edolas Gray was madly in love with Juvia."

Gray's face turned pale. "Seriously? That's scary…"

Naruto smirked and nodded. "Yup."

"Where is Juvia anyway? She's usually stuck to you like glue." Gray asked as he looked around for the obsessive woman.

Naruto frowned. "When we got back, she home saying she wasn't feeling good. I'm kinda worried about her…" An idea suddenly formed in his head. "Hey! Do you think you could check on her for me? I wasn't able to do anything, but I'm sure "you" would to do something." Naruto said with a sly tone while nudging the ice mage with his elbow.

Gray sent the ninja a skeptical look. "…Not sure what you're implying, but why me? Wouldn't it be better if you went?"

Naruto shook his head and grinned. "Trust me, she'll feel a lot better when she sees you."

Gray was slightly confused by the blonde's choice of words, but he shrugged. "Sure, I guess I could go see if she's alright for you." All he probably had to do was say that Naruto was worried about her and she'd come to the guild, right?

What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

Naruto lay against a tree in his usual training field. It was one of the few trees that remained.

'Juvia never showed up last night… I hope she's okay, she seemed pretty upset.' Naruto thought to himself as he thought back to last night's events. He was glad to see Mirajane having so much fun with her sister. After Naruto had eaten his umpteenth bowl of ramen, he had seen the smile on the barmaid's face. It was a true smile.

 **Growl~**

Naruto held his stomach as it gargled at him angrily. After the party ended with a bar fight, everyone had passed out somewhere in the guild. He had been the first to wake up and decided to train.

' **Is ramen all you ever think about? Pathetic.'**

"Well I'm sorry, I forgot to eat something before coming her-WAIT A SECOND!" Naruto yelled and jumped to his feet. The Kyuubi was talking to him again!

' **Hmph, and here I thought you were going to contact me when you came all the way out here to this field.'** The demon said a bit sarcastically.

Finally calming down, Naruto frowned. 'How are you able to talk to me?' He heard a loud snort before the Kyuubi answered.

' **Isn't it obvious? The seal has weakened since the numerous times you've used my chakra. I've had the ability to talk to you for quite some time now.'**

Naruto blinked at this. It was true that he had used the demonic chakra a few times since his father had fixed it, but he expected the demon to be able to talk to him. 'Wait, does that mean you can see what I'm doing too?'

' **Yes, and I must say… Your stupidity never ceases to amuse me.'**

Insult aside, Naruto shuddered at the thought of the nine tailed fox watching his every move. That was an invasion of his privacy!

But before he could tell the demon off, the Kyuubi spoke to him again. **'I still don't understand why you stick with these weaklings. You have the power to destroy this world, yet you waste your time playing with those mages.'**

Naruto sighed. 'You just don't understand. Everyone in Fairy Tail is my friend, and I'll do everything in power to protect them… Even if I have to say goodbye someday.'

' **Really now? That's funny because I have yet to see you go all out since we've first arrived in this world.'**

Naruto frowned. 'Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some training to do. So go take a nap or something.'

The demon chuckled to himself. _**'Training he says… The brat doesn't even know that he's been unconsciously purifying some of my chakra with that magic of his.'**_

When he didn't hear a response, Naruto sighed and continued where he had left off earlier. He was still trying to only absorb magic into his system, without the natural energies he would normally get along with it. He wanted to be able to use magic without having to go into sage mode, but he was having trouble finding a place to keep it in his system for later use.

'Ugh, It's no use. I can't concentrate right now.' Naruto thought and shook his head. That little chat with the Kyuubi had riled him up a lot more than he thought. He really needed to blow off some steam right now.

"Naruto-Kun!"

Naruto opened his eyes to see Rock Lee standing in front of him, his face as serious as it always was. "Bushy-Brows? What's up?"

Lee frowned. "Surely you haven't forgotten about our sparing match?" He then fell into his fighting stance. "I have been looking forward to this for quite some time!"

Naruto grinned. Of course! What better way to blow off steam than a sparring match with one of the best taijutsu users in Konoha? "Alright Bushy-Brows, you're on!"

The two stared each other down for a couple seconds, each sizing their opponent down and forming strategies.

Feeling it was time to start, Naruto exploded forward. "Let's go-"

"Wait." Lee suddenly said with a hand up, causing Naruto to trip.

"What!?" The whiskered teen questioned angrily.

"I want this to be a serious match. No limitations. No pulled punches." The green clad ninja said while staring the blond dead in the eye.

'This sparing match must really mean a lot to him…' Naruto thought as he dusted himself off. Well if it was a fight he wanted, he was going get one. "I've always wanted to fight you seriously, Bushy-Brows. Sounds good to me."

Nodding his appreciation, Lee sat down and began to take off his weights.

Naruto felt his heart race in excitement as Lee stood up, a weight in each hands. The last time he'd seen Lee fight without his weights was during the chūnin exams. Back then it was intimidating and Naruto even thought that if they had fought seriously back then, he would have lost. But he was different now, and now it was time to prove it.

Lee then let go of the weights.

 **Crash!**

The moment the leg braces hit the ground, both ninja sprung to life.

Naruto was slightly caught off guard at how fast Lee was, and was almost caught in the face by his signature kick.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee roared as he spun three times. His legs cut through the air as Naruto was just narrowly able to dodge the first two.

Naruto leaned back and felt a gust of wind as Lee's final kick brushed past his nose. 'I do NOT want to get hit by one of those…' He thought before jumping back and crossing his fingers. Three Shadow Clones popped into existence and all rushed Lee.

'Naruto-Kun's trademark technique, the Shadow Clone Jutsu!' Lee thought as he returned to his stance. He knew that even though the cloning technique gave an advantage in numbers… "They do not have the durability of the original!" He said and parried a clone's punch then striking it in the stomach. After the exploded in a cloud of smoke, the remaining two clones jumped at him from both sides.

Lee jumped and twirled into a spinning kick, successfully hitting both doppelgangers and destroying them. After landing on the ground, he looked at his adversary and frowned. "Surely you know you cannot defeat me with just clones, Naruto-Kun."

Naruto grinned. Of course he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat someone of Lee's caliber by just spamming Shadow Clones. But it had been awhile since he'd last fought someone around his speed level, so he used the clones to help him adjust.

"Hehe, old habbits die hard ya know?" Naruto said and chuckled. 'But now that I have a better idea of how fast he is, I'll be able to keep up.'

"Now then, shall we continue?" Rock Lee said before motioning Naruto to come to him with his outdrawn hand.

Naruto smirked before sprinting forward. Only an idiot would attack a taijutsu master head on. Luckily, he was a smart idiot.

Lee watched as Naruto created two more clones, who proceeded to grab the original and launch him into the air. Naruto then created a couple more clones in the air with him and they all dropped down at him from the sky. If he stayed and waited for them to attack like he had originally planned, he'd be overpowered by the sheer number of attacks.

So he decided to go forward.

Meeting the first two clones head on, Lee ducked under their fists and swung a low sweep at their legs. He then turned around as the crowd of Narutos landed on the ground and began to circle him. Glancing around and seeing no exits, Lee's frown deepened. 'Naruto-Kun's chakra reserves are as impressive as ever.' The clones all roared in unison as they charged in together in an attempt overwhelm him, and he began to strike down any clone that came near him.

One after another, the Shadow Clones popped out of existence. But the question was…

'Where is the real Naruto-Kun?' Lee thought as he jumped over a clone, causing it to run into another one and both exploded. He began to pick up the pace. The longer Naruto was out of his sights, the worse off he would be.

Away from the Shadow Clone army, the original Naruto stood with a single clone next to him. Together, they formed a normal Rasengan. 'Time to get him while he's distracted.'

The clone popped and he took off running towards the diminishing crowd. "You sure did a number to these clones Bushy-Brows, but now it's time to end this!"

Lee spared a glance towards the shout and his eyes widened when he saw the spinning blue orb in the blonde's hand. He tried put some distance between them, but a stray clone somehow grabbed a hold of him. 'Shoot!'

At that moment, all of the remaining clones grabbed onto the now frantic teen.

Rock Lee began to panic as he struggled against the Shadow Clones. If he got hit by that Rasengan, it was over.

He would lose.

With one final roar, Lee broke his arms free just in time to grab onto Naruto's arm. The Rasengan was just a few centimeters away from his chest.

It was a struggle for power as the two pushed with all their might. Naruto yelled as he continued to force his arm forward.

Lee began to sweat as the chakra sphere edged its way to his abdomen. Despite his best efforts, the clones that managed to survive were still holding onto him, which prevented Lee from using his full strength.

'T-this is not good!' Lee thought as the Rasengan began to eat away at his vest. He had to move the attack away from him, but the clones were preventing him from making any extra movements. 'This is going to be risky, but it looks like I have no choice!'

'Almost… there!' Naruto thought when Lee suddenly shifted his weight to his left.

The sudden change caught Naruto by surprise and Lee took advantage of that moment to bring his arm to the ground.

 **Boom!**

The Rasengan hit the Earth and exploded, destroying all of the remaining clones and sending the two ninja sprawling across the field.

They immediately jumped to their feet and stared each other down, both taking a short moment to catch their breaths.

"Not gonna lie Bushy-Brows, I wasn't expecting that at all. But it was sort of risky. Any wrong movements and you still would have been hit."

"It is true, that was a risky move. But you left me with little choice."

They were about to go at it again when someone started clapping.

"Alright alright, that's good enough for now you two."

Naruto and Lee stopped in their tracks and found Kakashi along with a few others walking towards them.

"Kakashi-Sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked and looking closer, he also saw Elfman, Lucy, and Erza. "Were you guys watching?"

Kakashi was about to answer but was cut off completely by Elfman, who gave the two fighters a thumbs up.

"Naruto-San, Lee-San! What a manly battle! You both are the manliest of men!"

Lee still looked eager to get back into his fight, but returned the thumbs up with one of his own.

Kakashi sweat dropped as he found himself completely forgotten. 'I suppose I should start getting used to this…' Oh well, he was just going to tell them that Sakura remembered the what had happened during the party. A slight incident that involved the two of them angering the pinked haired girl. But they didn't need to know that.

"I didn't know you were that strong Lee-San. I mean, I know all of you guys are strong! But to be able to keep up with Naruto like that…" Lucy said as she stared at the chūnin in bewilderment. The incident with Juvia and Sakura aside, this was her first time seeing any of the Konoha ninja in action. To see that he was able to put Naruto on the defense, and he is considered to be one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail.

"Actually, that was my best trick. If we continued any farther than that Lee probably would have gotten me if the fight dragged on any longer." Naruto said a bit sheepishly but Lee shook his head in disagreement.

"You are too modest Naruto-Kun! But even so, we must continue our match! You haven't even gone into Sage Mode yet!"

Naruto scratched his cheek. "That's not really something I want to use against a friend…"

"Naruto-Kun. I want to see how I match against you at your best." Lee said with a clenched fist. "In order to know where I need improvement, I must challenge myself to my limits!"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded his head. "I guess we can continue, since this means so much to you Bushy-Brows. Besides, I did say I would go all out in this fight didn't I?"

"*Sniff!* Spoken like a true man!" Elfman said with teary eyes before he turned to Kakashi. "Please! Let them continue their match!"

"Those were truly moving words." Erza said and also looked at the jōnin. "I too believe they should continue their match, if you would allow them?"

'Now they're making me look like the bad guy…' Kakashi thought before sighing in defeat. "Well if you guys want to continue, I won't try to stop you. We are far enough from the city but try not to go overboard."

Elfman cheered and Erza smiled while Lucy's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, what do you mean by far enough form the town?"

Kakashi eye smiled as he began to walk away from the two combatants.

Something about that smile unnerved her and Lucy decided it would be best to just follow the lanky man. She knew how powerful Naruto became when using sage mode, but did Lee have something similar in his arsenal?

When they made it to a good distance from Naruto and Lee, Lucy decided to ask. "What does Lee-San plan to do against Naruto's Sage Mode?"

"While it's true Lee doesn't know any ninjutsu or genjutsu, he's been taught a technique to further enhance his already impressive taijutsu." Kakashi explained as Lee crossed his arms in front of his face, and a green aura began to emit around his body.

"Gate of opening… Open!" A surge of energy burst from the teen as he opened the first of the eight inner gates.

Naruto closed his eyes and entered Sage Mode.

"Gate of healing… Open!" Lee shouted as the second gate opened. But he didn't stop there and began to open the third. "Gate of life… Open!"

Naruto opened his now crimson eyes and watched as Lee's skin turned red, a strong gust a of wind began to pick up. 'It's just like when he fought Garra… Sage Mode or not, this is gonna be a rough fight.'

"What… is that?" Lucy asked in astonishment as she covered her eyes from the wind.

"Did you know he could do this?" Erza asked Elfman, but the man shook his head.

"This is my first time seeing this."

"They're called the eight inner gates." Kakashi said as he lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan eye. He was going to need it to be able to watch every detail of this fight. To be honest, he'd been wanting to see just how powerful Naruto was with his new Sage Mode. So them going all out might actually be a blessing in disguise. "Brace yourselves."

Just as Kakashi said that, Rock Lee vanished from his spot and the earth seemingly erupted.

Naruto lifted his arms up to block a kick aimed at his ribs, and a shockwave cracked through the air from the sheer force behind it. 'If I had tried to block that in my base form, my arms would have snapped like twigs!'

When Lee disappeared again, Naruto decided to give chase.

'This is unbelievable!' Kakashi thought with wide eyes. He could hardly keep up with their movements, even with his Sharingan! It seemed Naruto was a lot faster in this new sage mode, if him being able to keep up with Lee using three gates meant anything.

"I can't even see them!" Lucy said from behind a nearby tree. She had hidden herself behind it after Lee had made his first move.

Erza couldn't help but agree. She was fast, and already knew Naruto was faster than her by a large margin. But their speed was ridiculous! Had Naruto been holding back this entire time?

Elfman gulped and glanced at the grey haired man standing next to him. "Is everyone in the Elemental Nations this strong?"

Naruto and Lee continued to fly around the field, creating shockwaves every time they clashed.

'Bushy-Brows really is something else…!' Naruto thought as their fists collided once more. He slapped an incoming fist away and hopped over a spinning kick. Deciding it was time to be a little more aggressive, Naruto lunged forward and launched a right jab.

At the same time, Lee sent a right jab of his own and the two hit each other square in the face.

"I'm not done yet! Gate of view… Open!" Lee yelled as he went straight to the sixth inner gate, then proceeded to throw out a volley of punches.

"Neither am I!" Naruto yelled back and began to throw out a barrage of his own.

Kakashi gawked. "He opened the sixth gate!?" Could this even be called a sparring match anymore?

"Why? What's wrong?" Lucy asked with a slightly worried tone. The intensity of the fight was starting to worry her. She knew Naruto would never intentionally hurt one of his friends, and Lee seemed to be the same way, but they were going at each other with all they had and she didn't want to see them get hurt.

"Opening the inner gates gives you massive increases the user's speed and power by allowing more chakra to flow through their system, but there are major drawbacks. It puts a huge strain on the body. Lee just opened the sixth which, even at his current level, is very risky."

Lucy turned back to the battle and frowned. She hoped the fight ended soon, and from the looks of things it seemed the fight was nearing the end.

As the two continued to clobber each other, Naruto flinched internally when he noticed the look Lee was giving him. 'H-he noticed…!' Halting his onslaught, Naruto feinted to the left. When he saw Lee take the bait he threw out an upper-cut, plowing his fist right into Lee's jaw.

"Gah!" Lee grunted in pain as he flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thump.

'So it's finally over…' Kakashi thought with a sigh as he went over to make sure Lee was alright.

Naruto began to pant heavily as he felt the natural energies leave his body, his eyes wide and locked on the person he had just sent flying. 'He knows…'

"Naruto, are you okay?" Lucy asked as she frantically checked over her partner's body. He had a few scrapes and bruises, and a small cut above his eye, but seemed mostly alright. She assumed it was the added durability that came with Sage Mode.

"Elfman, could you go get a first aid kit?" Erza asked and the man looked like he wanted to stay to see if his friend was alright, but nodded and began to run towards the town.

"Lee, that was very reckless of you. Why did you take it so far?" Kakashi asked the boy in a stern tone. He wasn't necessarily mad at him, but Lee didn't open the sixth inner gate for no reason.

"Because… *Huff!* Naruto-Kun was still… *Huff!* Holding back!"

Kakashi's eyes widened and looked at the whiskered teen. "Naruto… is that true?"

Naruto's frown deepened as he looked at his clenched hand. It was true. He'd been slightly pulling his punches throughout their second round. "The power I get when I enter this state… It's so powerful that even with all of the training I've been doing the past couple of weeks, I still can't fully control it." He said before turning to Lucy, who was staring at him with a confused look. "I haven't said anything because recently, it feels like I've been using Kyuubi's chakra when I'm in this mode. This feeling's been getting stronger lately… So I've been holding myself back because one wrong move and someone could die-"

 **Smack!**

Everyone was surprised when Erza had walked over to Naruto and slapped him across the face.

Naruto held his burning cheek in his hand as he stared at the red head in shock.

"Holding back? You mean to tell me you've been holding back this entire time!? Don't be so selfish!" Erza scolded with a stern voice. "I can understand you don't want to kill people, as it's one of Fairy Tail's rules. But that is no excuse to not fight your hardest! When we fight it is not just our lives on the line but our comrade's lives as well! Imagine what could have happened if Lucy or Juvia got hurt because you were holding back against someone like Brain? Villains like him won't hold back against us or our comrades, so from now on fight your hardest Naruto!"

Naruto looked down at the ground and grit his teeth.

Lucy wanted to say something, but found her voice die in her throat.

Kakashi watched the scene with an impressed look on his face. 'This girl is going to make a fine leader one day.' He thought before turning to Naruto. But to think the teen would come this far since coming here. To be able to come out of a fight with someone using six of the eight inner gates was no easy feat.

"You don't understand how much damage I could do to someone in this mode…" Naruto finally said and Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Then show me." She said as her armor glowed and disappeared, leaving her with just a white blouse. "Hit me."

Everyone was taken aback from the sudden command.

"What?"

"Hit me." Erza repeated.

Naruto shook his head. "No! There's no way I could do that! I could put you in the hospital, or worse!"

"Then you're clearly underestimating us mages, so I want you to hit me as hard as you can and I'll prove to you we can take a punch."

"Erza, let's take a second to think about this." Lucy said as she tried to be the voice of reason, but the girl wasn't listening.

Naruto was about to refuse again when Erza shouted.

"HIT ME!"

Naruto flinched at Erza's harsh tone, but reluctantly entered sage mode. He didn't want to do this! How could he want to? To intentionally hurt one of his precious people went against all of his morale codes. Erza was strong, and he knew she could take a hit. So maybe she would make it. No, something told him that she would make it. So he hit her.

As hard as he could.

Erza doubled over as she held her stomach in pain. What strength! She felt like a train had just rammed into her at full throttle! This must be why he was so hesitant to fight with his full strength.

Naruto reach out in an attempt to help her but the S-class mage swatted his hand away.

Erza coughed up a wad of blood onto the grass, she felt like she wanted to throw up. But hopefully now Naruto would understand that no matter how powerful he thought he was, that the mages of Earthland wouldn't die so easily.

* * *

 **A/N: If there is one thing I know about Erza, it's that the girl can take a hit! I believe without a doubt she'd be able to take a hit from Naruto in sage mode without armor and not die. What Fairy Tail characters lack in speed, they make up for with endurance!**

 **Now Naruto will think twice before holding back in a fight.**

 **A bit of drama in this chapter as Mirajane finally acknowledges her feelings for Naruto! You NaruMira fans are probably stoked right now, as am I. XD**

 **Although, poor Juvia. We'll see how she retaliates in the next chapter.**

 **Naruto vs Lee!**

 **I hope I didn't make Lee seem like he was weak, and I know how powerful the eight inner gates are. But I feel that Naruto with normal sage mode would be able to defeat Lee if he went six gates. Thus the results of this battle. Naruto wasn't holding back when they were fighting in their base forms though.**

 **The true nature of Naruto's magic enhanced sage mode is revealed! Ever wondered why his eyes turned crimson? Well it's because the magic he absorbs purifies some of the Kurama's chakra! Now I just want to clarify that this form isn't like the Kyuubi chakra mode, just that it is similar in terms of speed and strength. Naruto is definitely faster using the Kyuubi's chakra, but I would say he is stronger physically when in sage mode. Due to the nature of Naruto's seal, he is constantly getting bits of Kurama's chakra and the magic purifies it. Which causes his eyes to look like they do(The golden aura in his eyes is purified Kyuubi chakra). Since Naruto isn't aware of this fact, it's harder for him to control it.**

 **Also, I'd like to thank you all for putting up with my crap. Especially my beta, Redlox2. You rock man!**

 **If you still have any questions or need clarifications, feel free to ask via review or P.M.!**

 **Okay, I'm done. Hope you enjoyed and see you in the next one! But before that, enjoy this:**

 **Omake**

* * *

Gray walked through halls of Fairy Tail's female dormitory, Fairy Hills. Normally guys weren't allowed in the building, but all the members were at the guild so he was able to just walk in.

"Where's her room… Ah, there it is." Gray said as he walked up to one of the dorm rooms. He had taken a look at the occupant's book in the main lobby to find out what room she was in. Nothing creepy at all.

The only reason he was doing all of this was to gain a favor from the blonde shinobi. Gaining a favor from someone like Naruto would definitely come in handy in the future.

Taking a small breath, Gray knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Came Juvia's voice from inside the room.

Gray sighed. "You should go to the guild, Naruto's worried about you."

There a moment of silence before he heard a shuffling noise, which he assumed was her getting up and walking towards the door. 'Well that was a lot easier than I-'

The door opened and Gray took a step back as water began to pour into the hallway. "W-woah!"

He then looked at Juvia and flinched at her appearance. Needless to say, she was a wreck. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her pajamas were completely soaked. "U-um…"

"Juvia is in a bad mood right now… The last thing she needs to see, IS GRAY!"

Gray jumped back to avoid getting hit by a water whip, and his face paled a few shades lighter when he heard the liquid sizzle. Scrambling to his feet, he ran down the hallway while avoiding Juvia's scalding hot whips. 'What did do!?'

He came to a stop at the end of the hall near a large window. "Shoot, a dead end!?" Did he miss the stairs? He must have been too busy dodging the water and skipped them by accident.

"Drip… Drop, goes Juvia's tears…" He heard Juvia's haunting voice at the other end of the hallway.

What was this, a horror film!?

"N-n-n-now what a second Juvia! Let's talk about this!" Gray pleaded with his back to the window. His mind raced as he thought of ways to escape. There was no way he'd be able run past her without getting burned. He glanced at the window behind him. Should he jump? It was a three story building, but anything sounded better than feeling the water mage's wrath.

"Because of Gray… Naruto-Sama thinks she's in love with someone else!"

"AHH!"

 **Splash!**

Juvia walked over to the now broken window and looked outside. "Hm. Juvia strangely feels better now." She said before walking back to her room.

Out in the middle of the lake behind Fairy Hills, Gray's steaming form rose to the surface. "…W-why me…?"


	33. Two Jobs, Two Battles

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

Naruto really hated himself right now. Not only had he completely disrespected one of his friends, but also managed to put another in the hospital.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Lucy said in an attempt to cheer him up. "You didn't mean to hurt anyone, quite the opposite actually. I'm sure they understand."

Naruto smiled weakly at his partner appreciatively. "Thanks… But I need to apologize to Bushy-Brows. I just hope he doesn't hate me…" He didn't think Lee was the type to hold a grudge, but Naruto knew just how important their sparing match meant to the guy so he still felt awful.

Then there was Erza. She was currently resting at Porlyusica's house. The secluded woman wasn't all too happy when they showed up at her house, but she quickly ushered them in when she saw the state Erza had been in. Porlyusica had told them she would be fine before kicking them out of her house.

A day had passed since then and Naruto was walking through the streets of Magnolia to the guild with Lucy.

After Erza's scolding, Naruto had realized that he really was being selfish holding back in all of his fights. He grew up working his butt off to grow stronger, but now that he had enough power to stand up with the best of them, he was scared. Scared that he might accidentally kill someone.

But not anymore. Erza made him remember that protecting his precious people was his top priority, and that he had to protect them no matter what. Even if that meant breaking the guild rules.

'That's right… No more holding back!' Naruto thought and clenched his fist adamantly.

Lucy smiled at seeing Naruto's new look of determination. It looked like he finally came to a conclusion. 'Wait, I'm alone with Naruto right now. Now is the time to put Levy-Chan's advice to action!' With them walking alone together like this, it was the perfect chance to create a moment between them.

"Hey, I was wonderi-"

"I wonder how Juvia's doing right now… I hope she comes to the guild today.'

Nope, moment lost.

Lucy sighed. What did she have to do to get her feelings through to this guy? Confess? No no no, that would be way too embarrassing! 'Except that might actually be the only way…'

Shaking her head, Lucy's thoughts drifted to Juvia. 'Although I'm kind of worried about Juvia too. Mira-San really surprised us back then, but I wasn't expecting Juvia to go missing for two days.'

After a couple minutes of walking, they walked through Fairy Tail's gates and waved to Max who was currently running the guilds goods shop.

"Hey Max."

Max stopped what he was doing and waved back at the two. "Hey guys. How's Erza doing?"

"Her life's not in danger, Porlyusica-San said Erza would feel better after resting for a couple days." Lucy said as she looked around the shop for anything embarrassing. The last time she was at this shop, she had found out they were making dress up figures of her.

"Man, I still can't believe you put down Erza of all people with a single punch… And you also defeated Laxus back then. You really are one of the top dogs in Fairy Tail. You might even be able to beat the old man!"

"Hehe… You really think so? Well anyways, how's the store doing?" Naruto asked to try and change the subject, and it worked seeing as Max's expression brightened.

"We're doing great! After our victory against the Oración Seis, our sales have gone through the roof!"

"Really? Fairy Tail is really popular isn't it?" Naruto said with a laugh.

Max suddenly grinned mischievously as he leaned over the counter. "So? You wanna know, right?"

"Know what?"

"The sales of your merchandise of course!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. He almost forgot they sold figures of him and other stuff like that, and now that he thought about he was kind of curious. So grinning, Naruto went along with it. "Okay, you got me."

Max's grin grew even wider before he reached under the counter and brought up a couple objects and placed them on the counter. There was a figure of Naruto in his sage cloak in a stance doing the shadow clone hand sign, another one without the cloak in the same stance. Both figures had the same foxy grin Naruto was known for. "These are two of the top three figures of you. But these two don't even compare to the sales of this one." Max said before placing down a third figure. It looked like the first one only Naruto was standing normally.

"These are pretty accurate…" Naruto said and shivered internally. How did they get these things to be so detailed without asking to take any picture of him?

"Wait, why does this one sell so much more than the other two?" Lucy asked while poking at the last one. "It doesn't look that different-"

 **Pop!**

"Wha-!"

Lucy's face turned bright red when all of the clothes suddenly fell off, leaving the figure with only a pair of boxers. It was just like her figure!

"W-why is there a figure of me like that…?" Naruto asked with an embarrassed look on his face.

Max had an incredulous look on his face. "What did you expect? You're really popular right now."

'He's not going to understand even if you bluntly tell him…' Lucy thought as she wiped her nose.

"So do you wanna buy anything? I can give you a discount on the Lucy and Juvia figures if you want?" Max asked with a sly grin on his face.

Naruto's blush deepened as he turned away. "I don't want perverted figures of my friends."

 **The word "friend" struck Lucy in the back as the girl fell to her knees. 'Friendzone…'**

Max snickered at the girl's reaction and continued to tease them. "You're right, sorry. You probably want the Mirajane figure don't you?" There had been a rumor going around the guild recently, and that rumor just so happened to be about Naruto and Mirajane.

"Yeah-Wait, hey!" Naruto glared at Max as the teen laughed hysterically, but the two suddenly stopped when a wave of killer intent hit them.

They turned to see Lucy getting up slowly, and her bangs were shadowing her face eerily.

Max began to sweat bullets; he may have taken his teasing a little too far.

"L-Lucy?" Naruto asked meekly. As strong as he may have become, he would always fear an angered girl.

Lucy looked up and showed that she had a neutral expression. "Yeah, I'm fine. Shall we go into the guild now?"

Naruto could only nod in agreement and follow the girl into the building, but not before glancing back at Max for help.

'Sorry man…! Good luck!' Max thought and waved goodbye.

* * *

Naruto and Lucy walked into the guild just in time to witness a very strange scene.

"Lee-San! I have a newfound respect for your manliness!" Elfman said and with a hearty laugh.

"Thank you Elfman-Kun, but you have it all wrong. I could never hope to be as manly as you." Lee said with a shake of his head.

"Lee-San…"

"What I strive for is youth!"

"What a man! No, a youthful man!" Elfman roared and the two wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder and cheered.

"Youthful men!"

Naruto's eyes widened when the two started running towards them. 'Crap! I still don't know what I'm going to say!' But it was too late and Lee stopped right in front of Naruto, his face ever so serious. "Uh… H-hey Bushy-Brows. Um… I-" Naruto started but was cut off when Lee held a hand up.

"No need to apologize, Naruto-Kun. You were only doing what you thought was right, and I can't hold that against you."

"Bushy-Brows…"

"However! Should the time come when you have completely master your new power, then we shall have our rematch!" The hot-blooded ninja said with a grin, and his teeth twinkled.

Naruto smiled, hearing that really made him feel better. Lee really was a good guy. "You got it!"

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have some training to do! Let us go, Elfman-Kun!" Rock Lee said and the two shouted before running out of the guild.

* * *

Lucy picked at her breakfast. Why did boys have to be so clueless? No, that would be saying all boys were this clueless. 'Oh well… At least Naruto was able to make up with his friend.' She thought and looked at the clueless boy sitting next to her, he was happily eating his own breakfast.

Naruto was smiling as he ate. Not only was Lee not mad at him, but he now had a newfound motivation to train even harder! 'I think I'll go and join them to train after I'm done eating!'

"Uzumaki!"

The two blondes were pulled out of their thoughts when Gajeel called the ninja out.

"Oh, Gajeel. What's up?" Naruto asked plainly and took another bite of his meal.

Something about the way Naruto spoke ticked Gajeel off, if the growing tick mark on his forehead meant anything. "Don't "what's up" me! You know what I want!" The iron dragon slayer barked before dropping into a stance. "It's time we settle things between us."

"So Naruto was the person you had a bone pick with, Gajeel?"

Naruto looked down and saw Panther Lily. He almost forgot the black cat had joined Fairy Tail. Though it was kind of weird seeing the once massive Exceed the same size as Happy and Carla. Naruto glanced at Lucy, who sighed.

"You guys are obsessed with fighting."

By now the whole guild was watching and murmuring to each other about the two, and the murmuring grew when Naruto stood from his stool.

"Alright Gajeel." Naruto said with a smirk as his eyes turned crimson. "But I will warn you, I won't be holding back."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Gajeel said and burst forward. He jumped over a table and landed with a thud before continuing his dash towards the blonde. "I know I wouldn't have stood a chance before… But I'm different now!" He yelled and glanced back at the little black cat. "But now that I finally have my cat, I feel like I can defeat anyone! Even yo-"

 **Crack!**

Right when Gajeel finally reached the bar, Naruto instantly punched him in the jaw, sending the man hurdling across the guild hall and through a wall.

Everyone watching gulped as Naruto let out a breath and returned to normal.

"He just defeated Gajeel with a single punch..."

"Naruto might actually be our strongest member..."

Lucy sweatdropped. "I know you said you weren't going to hold back anymore, but wasn't that a bit much…?"

"Nah, he's a tough guy." Naruto said lightheartedly as he shook his hand. He didn't know why, but he felt great! After he was done eating, he was going to go all out with his training!

"Would you like anything else to eat, Naruto-Kun?" Mirajane asked as she picked up all of the plates and brought them to the sink.

"No thanks Mira-Chan, I'm gonna go train now!"

Mirajane giggled. "Not before paying for your meal you're not."

Naruto stumbled in his footsteps before pulling out a little green pouch. "Whoops, almost forgot. Here… Eh?" Naruto was surprised to see that there was only enough jewels in his wallet to pay for his meal.

"Looks like we're going on a job today." Lucy said as she peered into her own empty wallet.

"Oh my… What happened to your winnings from the Miss Fairy Tail Contest?" Mirajane asked.

Lucy sent Naruto a slightly annoyed look. "He spent it all on ramen."

The barmaid's eyes widened and looked at the ninja in question. "All of it?"

Naruto shrugged. "What can I say? I love ramen."

"That doesn't mean you had to spend all five-hundred thousand jewels on the stuff!" Lucy shouted angrily before slouching over the bar. "That was like five months' rent…"

"But there was so many different flavors!" Naruto said trying to defend his favorite food. "I just had to try them all!"

Mirajane giggled as she watched their antics. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"Well, whatever. Should I go and find a job for us to do then?" Naruto asked his partner.

"Would you?" Lucy said with a tired sigh and Naruto walked to the request board.

"Must be nice, living with the one you love."

Lucy blinked, taken aback from the barmaid stating her envy out of nowhere. "It's not as great as you would think. He snores like a pig and the apartment almost always smells like ramen." She said before looking around the guild. "By the way, where's Lisanna?"

"Lisanna's with Natsu and Happy right now. The two were so excited she returned that they took her around town to show her everything that's changed. Isn't that just adorable?"

"I didn't know they were so close."

"Natsu and Lisanna were as close as they could get. They both raised Happy when he was still an egg." Mirajane giggled. "Lisanna once asked Natsu if he would take her as his bride when they got older."

"Is that so?" Lucy said why a wry smile. The dragon slayer was always teasing her about Naruto, so it was nice to finally have something to tease him back.

"I'm sorry… Lucy."

"Huh?" Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the white haired beauty, she looked like she was on the verge of crying.

"I'm sorry I did this all of a sudden…"

"I-it's fine! Really!" Lucy stuttered while flailing her hands around. She really hated seeing her friends cry. "I mean… I was really surprised, but I know what it's like to keep feelings like that all bottled up. I can't hate a friend for being true to themselves."

Mirajane was at a loss for words. This girl in front of her not only accepted the fact that she was in love with the same guy, but still considered her a friend. "Thank you, Lucy…"

Lucy nodded before frowning. "Though the person you should really be apologizing to is Juvia. She was pretty shaken up."

"I know… I did a horrible thing to her. She probably hates me now…"

Lucy wanted to say Juvia didn't hate her, she really did. But this was Juvia they were talking about. She was a girl who was suspicious of any girl who so much as looked at Naruto, sometimes even guys. There was a reason why none of the girls in town tried flirting with him.

* * *

"Hm… Which job should we do?" Naruto said to himself as he scanned the request board, although he was having a little trouble deciding on one.

They needed money for rent, but the good paying jobs were scarce today for some reason.

'We could do multiple jobs at the same time… Nah, that sounds a little too troublesome.'

Naruto sighed. "Guess I'll just ask Lucy." He said and was about to walk back to the bar when someone stepped in front of him. To his surprise it was Erza. "Erza!? What are you doing-Mmf!" Naruto's voice was muffled when the redhead put her hand over his mouth and pulled him behind a pillar.

"Shh!" She hissed and looked around the corner, and Naruto could faintly hear Sakura's voice over the bar noise.

"Have you seen Erza anywhere? She snuck out of Porlyusica's house this morning when she should be in bed resting."

So that's where Sakura had been this morning. Naruto had wondered where his old teammate had been since he hadn't seen her since the party- 'Oh crap! I almost forgot! Sakura-Chan's pissed at me!'

During the night of the party Naruto, along with some other guys including Lee, ended up talking about the girls in the guild. Sakura was eventually brought up in the conversation and some of the guild members were commenting on how she "lack of feminine charm".

Lee, not being one to hold back, had loudly stated that Sakura's flat chest was one of the things he liked most about her. Sakura had heard and was about to beat the living snot of him.

Naruto had tried to defend his buddy, but ended up offending the pink haired kunoichi even further. So it was in his best interest to stay away from the girl for a little while.

Seeing as the S-class mage was nowhere to be found, Sakura decided to search elsewhere.

Erza let out a sigh before she released her prisoner. "That was a close one…"

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his chin from the girl's vice grip.

"I keep telling them I'm fine now, but they won't listen." Erza said with a frown before looking at the blonde. "I'm going on a job with Jel-I mean Jay. Since you were looking for a job anyway, you should join us."

"I was actually gonna to go on a job with Lucy…"

"I'm sure Lucy wouldn't mind. Now let's go, Jay's waiting for us outside." Erza said and began to drag the teen towards the door. "But keep quiet, we don't want Sakura to find us."

'Sorry Lucy…' Naruto thought as he was pulled out of the guild. It seemed like Erza really wanted him to go with them on this job.

* * *

"Sorry about this, Naruto-San." Jellal apologized as they walked towards the train station.

"It's fine… I just hope Lucy doesn't get mad at me." Despite her cheerful nature, she was scary when angered. The first time he had tried reading the book she was writing, the ice cold glare she had given him could give even Sasuke a run for his money.

"I understand completely…" Jellal said and the two nodded in agreement.

Angered women were to be feared.

"What are you two talking about?" Erza asked, causing the two boys stiffen.

"N-nothing Erza!" Naruto stuttered. "We were just talking about how excited we are to go on this job! Right Jay?"

"Y-yes!"

"Is that so…?" Erza said before nodding. "I like your spirit! Let's make haste to the train station… Juvia?"

Juvia was standing in the middle of the sidewalk a couple meters in front of them, she gave them an awkward wave.

"Juvia!" Naruto said and ran over to the girl. "I was worried about you! Why'd you run off like that?"

Juvia blushed at hearing him state his worry for her and bowed. "Juvia's sorry for making Naruto-Sama worry. But Juvia is okay now!"

Naruto grinned, happy to hear that she was feeling better. 'I'll have to thank Gray for visiting her later.'

"Where's Lucy?" Juvia asked, having noticed the celestial spirit mage's absence.

"Ah, I'm going on a mission with Erza and Jay. It was kind of sudden so Lucy doesn't know…"

Juvia's eyes widened slightly before she rushed over to Erza. "Can Juvia come too?"

Erza hesitated to answer. Her whole reason behind brining Naruto along was to make sure he didn't hold back in his fights anymore, and bringing Juvia along would only distract him. "Well… I-"

"Please, Erza-San." Juvia asked again with a serious tone.

Erza blinked. Wait, did Juvia think she after Naruto again? If she didn't allow Juvia to go with them, the girl would surely think that. 'Guess I don't have much of a choice…' Erza thought and nodded. "Very well."

Naruto braced himself, half-expecting Juvia to jump onto him like usual. But he was surprised when nothing happened. Looking at the girl, he saw that she had a serious expression. 'Maybe she wants to get stronger? We are going on an S-class job after all.'

* * *

"Hey Sakura-San, do you know where Naruto is?" Lucy asked Sakura, who also seemed to be looking for someone.

"No, I haven't." Sakura said before her inner self pumped a fist. 'But if I did, I would have clobbered him! Cha!'

"Where could he have gone…?"

"What did you need him for?"

Lucy sighed. "We were supposed to go on a job today for rent money, but he disappeared after leaving to get a request."

"U-um… I know where Naruto-Kun went."

"Wah!" Lucy shrieked and she turned around to find Hinata. 'When did she get there!?'

"S-sorry! I didn't mean to s-scare you…" Hinata quickly apologized with a bow.

"It's fine… You just startled me is all." Lucy said with a hand over her startled heart. "You said you know where Naruto went?"

Hinata nodded. "I saw him leaving the guild with Erza couple minutes ago."

"You saw both of them!? Why didn't you tell me!?" Sakura whaled, causing the timid girl to flinch.

"Well anyways, Erza probably dragged Naruto into a job. That was a couple minutes ago so they're probably already on the train by now." Lucy deducted. But why would Erza want to go on a job with Naruto? Jellal was most likely with them, but she was still worried. After the whole Mirajane thing, she could never be too careful. 'Jeez… I really am starting to sound like Juvia…'

"Um… Lucy-San?"

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Hinata. Sakura was no longer present so the girl must have left while she was lost in thought. "Sorry about that! I was just trying decide if I still wanted to go on a job now that Naruto's gone."

Hinata nodded and poked her fingers together. "I-I was actually going to ask if I could go with? O-on a job, I mean…"

Lucy took a second to think. If she was not mistaken, Hinata liked Naruto. So wouldn't going on a job with her be a little awkward? She went on jobs with Juvia all of the time, but that was different. 'Although, I really do need the rent money right now…' She couldn't keep relying on Naruto to pay for their shared rent.

"Okay!" Lucy finally said cheerfully. "I'd really appreciate the help, thanks!"

"D-don't mention it!" Hinata said and smiled back before the two began to walk to the request board.

'Now I'll be able to find out what she really thinks about Naruto/Kun!' The two thought at the same time.

* * *

After getting on the train, Erza was giving Naruto and Juvia the details of their job.

"As I mention before, this is an S-class mission. Just like the one on Galuna Island." Erza said while sending Naruto a hard look.

"Hey, I wasn't a part of the guild back then. So technically I didn't break any rules." Naruto said with a shrug, before chuckling when he remembered the face Erza had made when he taunted her about it.

Erza shook her head and continued. "We're going to be protecting a group of archaeologists. They've just recently discovered an ancient ruin and we've been hired to escort them."

"Wait, this is an escorting mission?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. They think it'll be very dangerous inside, which is why they made this an S-class job."

Naruto nodded. He wasn't complaining or anything, escorting missions tended to be boring. Although his first mission outside of Konoha was an escort mission, and that ended up being a life changing experience for him.

"So how long until we get there?"

"It's pretty far from Magnolia, it'll take a couple hours." Erza said and leaned back to get some rest.

Naruto groaned and leaned back into his own seat. Looking around, he noticed that they were the only ones in the train. 'Well this is gonna be boring...' Maybe he could catch up on some magic training.

A couple hours later and Naruto was bored out of his mind. He hadn't made much progress due to the constant movement and this train ride was taking forever! Wherever they were going he probably could have gotten there faster by running!

Sighing as he realized complaining wouldn't do anything Naruto glanced over to Juvia, who was leaning against the window asleep. 'Juvia's kinda cute when she's sleeping…' Naruto thought and blushed when he found himself staring.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Naruto turned to the two mages sitting in front of him, and almost choked on his spit when he noticed a Erza smiling at him. She must have seen him staring.

"You were really worried about her, weren't you?" Erza said, her smile never leaving her face.

Naruto felt his cheeks burn. "W-well of course I was! She's my friend!"

"Is that the only reason?"

Naruto frowned. What was she implying? He was about to ask when the train began to slow down, and eventually stopped.

"Finally! That took forever!" Naruto cheered before running towards the exit.

His shouting had woken up Juvia, and the girl quickly grabbed her things and chased after the blonde. "Wait for Juvia, Naruto-Sama!"

Erza chuckled before nudging Jellal. "Could you make sure they don't go too far? We still have some distance to walk."

Jellal nodded and walked off to go find the two.

Erza smiled. Even though Jellal still didn't remember a thing, it was nice to have her old comrade around working hard to make up for what he had done. She had Naruto to thank for that.

* * *

After about a half an hour of being guided through the forest, the group arrived at a campsite at the base of a mountain. There were five tents set up surrounding a large campfire, four small tents and one large one.

Naruto snickered internally as people gawked at the amount of luggage Erza had brought with her. They were pointing and disbelief at the small carriage the woman was dragging.

Their guide led them through the camp to the largest tent and they walked inside. There was a large table in the middle of the tent with a long worn-out scroll on it. Behind the table stood short, skinny man who looked like he was in his sixties. He wore a tan expedition outfit and a matching hat on his head.

"Professor, the mages have arrived."

The old man looked up from the map and squinted through his goofy glasses. "The mages here? Excellent! Now we can finally get the show on the road!" He said before walking over to Erza, extending a hand to her. "So good of you to join us in our expedition!"

Erza took the offered hand and shook it. "The pleasure is ours. My name is Erza Scarlet, this is Naruto, Juvia, and Jay." The knight said while gesturing to the others.

The professor gave out a hearty laugh. "Hoho! Where are my manners? My name is Professor Sukenik." He said before walking back to the table and rolling up the old scroll. "Now then, shall we get going?"

As the group followed the old man out of the tent, Naruto eyed the scroll in his hands. He was relieved when he couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary from it. Had it been like the fox scroll that had brought him here, who knows what could have happened?

"Not everyone is coming with?" Erza asked, seeing as only five of the thirty people at the camp were walking with them.

"We can't bring too many people into the ruins when we don't even know what's in them yet. The rest will follow once we know it's safe. For now, only my more experienced students will be coming with us." Sukenik said as he walked up to a set of large stone doors. "Alright boys, open 'er up!"

"Yes professor!" Two of the students said and placed their hands onto the stone, their hands glowing a light blue. After a couple seconds of this, the doors began to rumble.

"So what are you guys looking for in there?" Naruto asked as the stone doors slid open.

The professor grinned. "The remains of a dragon."

* * *

 **A/N: Fun fact, Professor Sukenik is based off a real archaeologist. Bonus ducks to whoever knows who it is. :p**

 **Okay guys, I'm putting out a challenge to anyone who wants to do a Reading of The Fox Scroll! P.M. me if you think you're up for it!**

 **Alright, I'm done. See you in the next one!**

* * *

 **Omake Part 2...**

"Oh my gosh, Carla! What do you think could have happened to him?"

"Who knows… But those are some nasty burns."

It was the morning after the party celebrating Lisanna's return and Wendy and Carla were on their way back to Fairy Hills when they found Gray washed up at the shore. The little girl was currently doing her best to heal him.

"You don't think Gray-San and Natsu-San got into a fight, do you?" Wendy asked as she started wrapping Gray's arms in bandages.

"I don't think so, Natsu was with us at the party. In fact, I saw him sleeping on one of the tables just before we left. Though I wonder why he was near Fairy Hills when boys aren't allowed here…" Carla pondered just as Gray began to mumble something.

"M… Monster…! S-stop it…!"

"Monster?" Did Gray run into a monster nearby? That could explain the burns all over his body.

"Maybe he ran into the 'ghost' people have been talking about." Carla said with a sarcastic tone.

"S-top it Carla… There's no such things as ghosts!" Wendy stuttered and pouted when her feline friend snickered. She knew Carla was just teasing her, but the rumors of the ghost haunting the second floor of the guild floated in her head.

Maybe the 'ghost' was in Fairy Hills…

Wendy shuttered at the thought. 'No! There's no such things as ghosts!' Reassuring herself, she looked back down at the injured ice mage. "In any case, we should probably get Gray to the guild."


	34. With Rivalry, Comes Friendship

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

"A dragon?" Erza asked in mild surprised, a certain pink haired teen coming to mind.

"Precisely!" Sukenik answered with a gleam in his eyes and walked through the entrance. "I've been studying a set of scrolls for several months now, and all of my research lead us to this location!"

Erza hummed in acknowledgment and they followed the man in. If they actually found the remains of a dragon it would mean big news for Natsu, as well as Wendy and Gajeel.

The first thing they found inside was a large room with a square stone with a slab that had writing on it in the middle of the area. But there didn't seem to be any other doors.

Naruto watched the archaeologists scatter around the room, all goggling over everything they saw like children in a toy store.

"I suppose we might as well look around as well." Erza said and walked off to offer her assistance, to which the students were a little more than happy to have the red-haired beauty help them.

Jellal sighed as he watched some of the students practically, and some literally, drool over Erza. 'This is going to be a long job…'

Naruto looked towards the middle of the room, or more specifically at Professor Sukenik. The man was crouched down in front of the stone. He then turned to Juvia, the girl was looking around the room with interest. "Let's go see if the old man needs any help."

Juvia nodded and followed Naruto over to the lead archaeologist, but they were both stopped by one of the students.

"Please do not disturb the professor while he is working."

"Ah, my bad." Naruto said sheepishly and took a closer look at the boy in front of him. He looked to be about his age, and wore the same type of clothing as the professor. He had long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail and sideburns that stopped just below his ears. This guy was just screaming snobby pretty boy. "Hey, my name's-"

"Naruto Uzumaki, One Man Army of Fairy Tail. I've read about you in various sorcerer magazines." The guy said in a matter-of-fact-like manner.

Bingo.

"My name is Sam, and if you could…" Sam's words trailed off as his eyes fell on Juvia.

Slightly irritated, Naruto was about to ask why the guy stopped talking when Sam suddenly walked past him and grabbed one of Juvia's hands.

"And what is your name, fair maiden? Wait! Don't tell me!" He said before looking at her more closely. "A mage from Fairy Tail with blue hair curled at the sides, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a blue trench coat with a matching blue hat… You must be Juvia Lockser!"

'W-what is with this guy…?' Juvia thought, unsure how to react. She had never been approached by a guy so strongly before.

Sam noticed the girl's discomfort and immediately released her hand. "Forgive me, Juvia-San, I was just so excited to finally meet you. It is embarrassing to admit, but I am quite a big fan of yours."

"U-um…" Juvia said awkwardly as the guy sent her a charming smile.

"Okay, listen here buddy! Juvia is spoken for!" Naruto said while getting in between the two.

Sam seemed have been taken aback from the shinobi's sudden outburst, as if Naruto's words were news to him..

Juvia blushed. 'Naruto-Sama…'

"And Gray is a really good friend of mine, so back off!"

Juvia face faulted. 'Naruto-Sama~!'

Naruto smirked at Sam's surprised state, proud that he had just prevented the guy from flirting with his friend. But his smirk turned into a frown, however, when Sam suddenly started laughing into his hand. "What's so funny?"

"It's a pity you have fallen for such a fool, Juvia-San."

Naruto frowned. "Hey, don't go calling my friend a fool! I'll have you know Gray is a pretty smart guy." He said and bristled when Sam laughed at him again.

'Oh, Naruto-Sama…' Juvia thought sadly as she watched the blonde rage. 'If only Juvia could tell Naruto-Sama that she loved him… and not Gray. But doing so would surely hurt Naruto-Sama's pride, and that is something Juvia cannot bring herself to do…'

After calming his laughter, Sam began to walk away. "While I'd love to stay and get to know you better Juvia-San, there is work to be done."

Naruto grunted and followed the guy. He was still going to see if the old man needed any help, no matter what that Sam guy said.

Juvia sighed and followed Naruto to make sure he didn't do anything too drastic.

"Hm…" Sukenik hummed as the three peered over his shoulder. He seemed to be comparing the symbols on the stone slab to his notes.

Sam sent Naruto a hard look, but decided not to say anything about it. "Can you read it, professor?" He asked, gaining the attention of the rest of the people in the room.

"Yes… I believe I can." He answered and cleared his throat. By now, all five students had gathered behind the professor, eagerly waiting for him to speak.

 _Ruled by none but the ocean's chill,_

 _Always moving, never still,_

 _But now I sleep within this space,_

 _My final resting place._

While the students murmured amongst themselves, Naruto held his now spinning head in confusion. "Ugh… I hate riddles…"

"I don't believe this is a riddle, my boy."

"Huh?" Naruto looked down and saw that Sukenik had that same glint in his eye. "What do you mean old man?"

"My final resting place…" Sam repeated before his eyes widened in realization. "It's an epitaph! This must be the dragon's grave!"

Sukenik nodded sagely, having come to the same conclusion.

The remaining students made an 'Oh!' expression before slapping Sam on the back.

"As expected of Sam-Senpai!"

"Way to go Sam!"

Erza hummed. "Impressive."

Sam rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the professor already had it figured out. Besides, we still need to find the actual remains."

Naruto scoffed as the other students praised Sam and cheered. 'What's so great about that guy? All he found out was that the words were an epi-thing…' Naruto thought and leaned onto the side of the stone monument.

 **Click!**

"Woah!"

Naruto lost his balance and fell on his butt when the stone began to move, revealing a flight of spiral stairs underneath it.

"What a spectacular discovery! Excellent work Mr. Uzumaki!" Sukenik said, already walking down the stairs. "Onward!"

"Quite the lively one isn't he?" Erza said with a chuckle and followed the old man down the stairs.

Jellal went to follow her but the students beat him to it, they were all pushing and shoving one another in an attempt to walk behind Erza. Sighing, Jellal decided to just wait until they were all in before finally walking down himself.

Naruto, still on the ground, saw Sam walk up to him.

"Not bad, for a buffoon."

Naruto bristled as the teen laughed to himself and walked down into the stairway. Crossing his arms in a sulking manner, Naruto thought of a variety of pranks he could do to get back at Sam when a hand reached out in front of him. Looking up, he saw Juvia looking down at him with a worried expression.

"Is Naruto-Sama okay?"

Naruto felt his cheeks redden and took the girl's hand. "Y-yeah, thanks..."

Juvia smiled sweetly. "We better catch up with the others before Erza-San gets angry."

Naruto nodded dumbly before they both heard shout.

"Naruto! Juvia! What's taking you two so long!?" Erza yelled impatiently from the bottom of the stairs.

"We better hurry…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop and started down steps, but not before glancing back at Juvia and smiling. 'Juvia really is nice…'

* * *

'Awkward!' Was Lucy's thought as she walked next to Hinata. They had decided to take a job in a town not too far from Magnolia, but the girl was so quiet it made it next to impossible to start a conversation!

Lucy resisted the urge to pull her hair out. How was she supposed to get information like this!?

"Ano… Lucy-San?"

Instantly returning to normal, Lucy managed to answer somewhat normally. "Y-yeah?"

"So, um… What are w-we supposed to be doing on this mission?"

Lucy had been so lost in thought while choosing their job that she forgot to even see what they would be doing. "Oh, right! Let's see…" Lucy gulped. 'Oh no…! How could I have been so foolish!?'

* * *

"So the tunnel splits into two paths, huh…" Erza said as the group stood in front of two different pathways.

"I think it would only make sense that we split up into two different groups, each group consisting of two mages." Sam suggested and walked over to Juvia. "I would feel at ease if you would accompany me, Juvia-San."

Juvia hid behind Naruto. "J-Juvia goes where Naruto-Sama goes!"

Naruto smirked. "You heard the lady."

Sam blinked, before he shook his head in amusement. "I guess so."

"Then, we'll go this way." Erza said and pointed to the left tunnel. She was then surrounded by the remaining four students.

"Can we go with you, Erza-San!?"

"Surely we'll be safe if you're around!"

Jellal sweatdropped, it seemed he was yet again in the background. But it was to be expected, he knew full-well how popular Erza was. He glanced over to Naruto, who seemed to be having a staring contest with Sam. He had already noticed that the student had taken an interest in Juvia. Even if Naruto didn't already notice, he was clearly getting jealous. 'Good luck, Naruto-San.'

"Then it's settled! We'll meet back here should anything happen." Professor Sukenik said and marched down the right tunnel, followed by Sam, Naruto, and Juvia.

* * *

"Oh, it's you again…"

'Says the one who ripped me off last time…' Lucy said with a twitching eyebrow, but kept her voice sweet. "Thank you for choosing Fairy Tail…"

Hinata looked at the little old man in front of her. He seemed to be giving Lucy a dirty look, and with the way he had just spoken to her… Perhaps the two knew each other already?

"Well, you're already here I suppose, and there's work to be done." Ethan said while nodding reassuringly. "Alright, go find me a gold spotted mushroom! They're scarce around these parts, and I'll one up my brother if I get me some while he's out of ."

Lucy put her hands on her hips. "You mean the same brother you're actually all chummy with? Where is he anyway?"

"What're you talkin 'bout? I hate ma brother." Ethan said with a shrewd look on his face.

"You…!" Lucy started before her eyes widened. 'Crap! I had thrown those pictures away!' She had been so angry that time, the thought of taking a job from this old geezer was the last thing on her mind. Lucy was beginning to regret coming out here for information, which she wasn't even getting in the first place.

As if knowing what the girl was thinking, Ethan grinned victoriously. "So, you gonna get them mushrooms or not?"

Lucy growled and was about to tell the old man off when Hinata spoke up.

"W-we'll get you the mushroom, sir. Can you t-tell us where to find one?" It was obvious to her that the two knew each other, and clearly didn't like each other for that matter. But Hinata knew if she wanted to get any kind of information on the relationship between Lucy and Naruto, she needed to be the voice of reason so that the two could be alone.

Lucy held her tongue and smirked to herself, waiting for the stoic ninja to get an earful from their troublesome client. But what came next surprised her.

"Why thank you, lil miss." Ethan said and Lucy face-faulted. "Glad yer guild sent someone with manners."

Lucy pulled herself off the ground and clenched her fists. 'This old geezer…!'

"Well anyways, y'all can find a golden spotted mushroom in the forest just outside of town." The old man said and Hinata nodded thankfully.

"T-thank you, we'll be b-back soon!" With that said, Hinata and Lucy walked across the bridge and away from their client's property.

"Ano, Lucy-San? W-what's with the moat?"

"Don't ask…"

* * *

"It's rather dark down these tunnels, so be sure to stay close." Sam said to Juvia, slowly closing the gap between the two as they walked.

"J-Juvia will be fine…" Juvia said with an awkward smile.

Naruto grumbled to himself and looked at Professor Sukenik. "Is he always like this?"

"Sam is one of my brightest students. But he can be… Frivolous at times." Sukenik said with a chuckle. "I took him under wing, he was actually quite shy you see."

Naruto glanced at Sam, who was still talking to Juvia with that same stupid grin on his face. That guy? Shy? Naruto just couldn't see it.

"It wasn't until about a year ago that he began to come out of his shell." The old man continued. "Now he's one of my brightest students!"

"Professor, I think we're nearing an opening!" Sam suddenly called from up ahead.

"Excellent! Hopefully this path led us to something interesting!" Sukenik said excitedly and picked up his pace.

Naruto grinned, he couldn't help but smile when other people were happy. He was growing excited and looking forward to seeing if they did end up finding the bones of a dragon. It wasn't everyday one could see the remains of a mythological creature.

They could faintly see a light at the end of the tunnel and when they got closer, they began to hear the sound of running water.

"We must be ready for anything." Sukenik said and grabbed his notebook.

"After you." Sam said and gestured to Naruto, who smirked.

"What, getting cold feet?"

Sam grinned. "Not at all. I was merely suggesting you do what we're paying you to do is all."

Naruto was about to retort, but stopped himself when he realized they guy was right. Their job was to guide the professor and his students through these tunnels and to protect them while they did their research. With a sigh, Naruto walked through the opening and into the light.

He had to cover his eyes as they adjusted to the brightness of the place, which was weird since they were so deep underground. But when his eyes finally recovered, they widened at the sight that beheld him. "Woah…"

It was an enormous cavern that was almost completely lit by the countless glowing blue mushrooms that were hanging from the ceiling. Water was spilling out from the walls and Naruto peered over the edge and saw that it was falling into a massive body of water at the bottom, which was a long way down.

"Magnificent…"

Naruto turned around and saw the others walking into the light. They too were in awe at the breathtaking sight.

"Who could have that that such a cavern existed under the ruins!" Sam exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

Juvia shyly walked next to Naruto's side, taking quick bashful glances. 'Such a beautiful place… A perfect place to confess one's feelings!' Juvia thought with her hands clasping her cheeks.

With all the new rivals that were showing up out of nowhere recently, now was the perfect chance for Juvia to one up them all. Which was her plan all along to begin with.

So, gathering up all of her courage, Juvia looked up at Naruto. Now, while the professor and Sam were distracted by the cave, she would tell Naruto her true feelings.

"Naruto-Sama, Juvi-"

"This sight really is something, isn't it Juvia? Too bad Lucy isn't here to see this." Naruto said with a chuckle. "We'll have to bring her with us next time."

"O-of course…" Juvia said, visibly deflating. Why did he have to bring up Lucy all of a sudden!? Juvia pouted. 'Oh well, Juvia will just have to try again!'

They were alone(besides Sam and the professor), so it wasn't like Naruto was going to be continuously distracted.

"Heeeey! Is that that you guy up there?"

Naruto peered down spotted Erza and the rest of the group waving up them. They were standing on a cliff like the one they were on, only theirs was only a couple feet above the water down below. "Hey guys!"

Juvia was crying anime tears. 'Erza-San…'

"So, the tunnel they went through led to this cavern as well. Interesting…" Sukenik said and rubbed his chin in thought.

"I can faintly see more openings at the bottom, professor. Perhaps there is something in the water?" Sam asked and the old man nodded.

"It is quite possible if the tunnels all lead to the same place. Keep following the paths! We'll meet at the bottom!" The professor yelled and Erza began to lead the other group down the path, but immediately halted when the cavern began to rumble.

 **Rumble!**

Sam grabbed onto professor Sukenik to keep the man from falling. "What is happening?"

"An earthquake!?" Juvia yelled and grabbed onto Naruto's sage cloak to keep her balance.

Naruto felt his blood run cold when the glowing mushrooms began to glow red, giving the cavern a more demonic feel. He looked down and could see a shadow growing larger in the water, which was right next to where Erza and the others were on the cliff. Naruto could feel it.

The presence of a demon.

 **Splash!**

"What!?" Erza yelled when a massive object emerged out of the water in front of them.

It was a giant crustaceous looking creature, and had a clear shell that looked red due to the glowing mushrooms. A countless number of limbs stuck out of its sides. Two giant beady eyes peered down at the group of humans in front of it. The two antennas on its head were twitching, as if it was trying to make out what it was looking at.

The students all cowered being Erza as she and Jellal prepared to defend themselves.

"Where did this thing even come from?" Erza asked as she summoned a sword to her hand.

Jellal shook his head, his hand shining brightly as he charged it with magic. "I don't know, but something tells me it isn't friendly."

He was proven right when the creature let out a bone-chilling shriek, and they all had to cover their ears. When it finished its ghastly screech, its mouth began to foam.

Erza's eyes widened when she felt the temperature rise. "Jay, get them out of here!"

Feeling the heat as well, Jellal herded the students back the way they came just as the crustacean shot a stream of lava at them. He then continued to lead them back where they had come from. Trusting Erza would be fine, he'd take the students back up to safety before coming back down to help.

Erza requiped into her black wing armor and took off into the air to avoid the molten rock. 'It shoots lava!?' She thought as the lava hit the cliff before dripping into the water and started creating steam.

With a battle cry, Erza charged towards the creature at full speed.

The monster rose from the water more and Erza was forced to move out of the way when it body slammed the wall.

The cavern shook again as rocks fell into the now steaming hot water.

"Erza!" Naruto yelled and prepared to jump down to help his friend.

"Ahh!"

"Sam-San! Hold onto Juvia's hand!"

Naruto cursed when he turned around and saw Sam dangling off the edge, having been thrown off by the last tremor and was holding onto Juvia's hand for dear life. But the girl's grip came loose when the cavern shook again, and Sam began to fall towards the boiling water down below.

"Sam!" Professor Sukenik yelled as he feared for his student's death.

Naruto sprang into action and ran passed the two and off the cliff to save Sam. He didn't like him, but he would go as far as to let the guy fall to his death because of that. Crossing his fingers, Naruto created a line of clones, the first one grabbing onto the ledge, as he fell towards Sam. As soon as he grabbed onto him, the clones all grabbed onto each other and ceased their decent.

Juvia and Sukenik sighed in relief.

But then the cavern shook again when the monster attacked Erza again, and the clone holding onto the ledge popped from the sudden movement.

"Naruto-Sama!" Juvia screamed as the two began to fall again.

'Crap, now what!?' Naruto thought as his mind raced for options. He couldn't summon Gamabunta, else risk bringing down the cave on top of them when the two giants clashed. Nor was he able to enter Sage Mode since he was moving. Seeing no other option, Naruto channeled chakra into his open hand and slammed it against the rocky wall in an attempt to slow their decent.

He hissed in pain as the rocks tore at his flesh. But luckily for them, they came across an opening in the wall that Naruto could grab a hold of. They landed inside the dark area in a heep.

"W-we're… We're alive!" Sam said as he held his still beating heart. "I thought we were doomed!" He said and looked at Naruto before grimacing. The ninja's hand was bleeding pretty badly, and he was sure he saw bone. "You're hand…"

Naruto strained a smirk. "This is nothing…" He said that, but damn did it sting! "Stay here, I'm gonna go help Erz-"

 **Crash!**

They were both thrown back when the wall suddenly exploded.

"This place is collapsing!" Naruto yelled and pulled a stunned Sam away from the crumbling wall. He could hear the screeching of the monster diminish as the opening was sealed off by boulders until they were muffled noises.

When everything settled, the room they were in was pitch black.

"Hang on, I think I have some glowing lacrima…" Sam said as he searched his pockets, only to find nothing. "Er, scratch that…" They must have fallen out of his pockets while he was falling.

Naruto raised his good hand and it began to glow as an energy began to swirl in his palm.

"What is that?" Sam asked as the room around them began to lighten up.

"This is the first stage of one of my… spells." Naruto explained, catching himself from saying jutsu. The first stage Rasengan. While it wouldn't do much in a fight other than slightly cut or burn an enemy, it made a good light source in a dark cavern. "We should probably get out of here, who knows how long this cave will last." He said and Sam nodded.

Naruto wanted to go back and help Erza and the others, but he didn't want to risk bringing the roof down with Sam here. He would survive, but Sam was just a normal human. His only option now was to find a way to the bottom of this cave system while his hand healed.

* * *

Lucy and Hinata were searching the forest Ethan mentioned for a golden spotted mushroom, all the while trying to start up a conversation. But they found themselves stuck in a state of awkward silence.

Lucy, while fairly sure that Hinata liked Naruto, was thinking of a way to find out just how close the two were. She remembered back when Naruto had visited the girl while she was resting in Fairy Tail's infirmary, and while she knew Naruto was just being himself, it was always better to verify things before jumping to conclusions.

Hinata was trying to muster up the courage to chat with Lucy to find out if the girl liked Naruto, but was cursing her timid nature that was keeping her from bringing the whiskered teen up.

Deciding enough was enough, Lucy finally spoke up. "We've been searching for that mushroom for almost an hour now and we still haven't found one. Where could it be?"

"Y-yeah…"

'Yeah!? I muster the strength to start a conversation and all you can say is yeah!?' Lucy thought, resisting the urge to pull her hair out again. 'Wait, she's just shy…. So that means she'll probably speak up in second.' Lucy thought, and sure enough the girl spoke.

"Actually, I already found one…" Hinata said and pulled out a golden spotted mushroom from behind her back.

"I-I'm a ninja…?" Hinata said and blushed when she realized what she said was super cheesy. That had sounded a lot cooler in her head. Had Naruto said the same thing, it definitely would have sounded cooler.

Lucy sweatdropped, knowing full-well what she was going for. Naruto used that excuse for a lot of things, even if it didn't make sense. Like when she couldn't find her favorite pen and Naruto would find it instantly, or when they were suddenly out of towels when she was taking a shower… Though it was to be expected when you were living with someone who was a ninja AND a prankster.

…Wait a second.

"Why were you hiding it!?" Lucy spouted out, causing the timid girl to jump in surprise.

"To tell you the t-truth… I actually went on this job to ask you something…" Hinata said while poking her fingers together nervously.

Lucy gulped. 'So, she had the same idea? Guess I should have figured as much.'

Hinata paused for a second, before nodding to herself and looking at Lucy straight in the eye with fierce determination. "What is Naruto-Kun to you?"

At first Lucy was going to play dumb and lie, but she shook her head. Enough was enough. No matter how embarrassing it would be, it was time for her put her foot down and tell the world how she felt!

Okay, maybe not to the world, that would be a little _too_ embarrassing.

"I like Naruto." Finally, she said it!

Hinata blinked in surprise. She had been expecting this, but it was still surprising to hear it. "But what about what you said to Sakura-"

"I know what I said to Sakura-San." Lucy said, cutting her off. "I feel bad about lying to her, but to be honest…"

Hinata tilted her head in confusion. What reason could a girl have to lie about her feelings, though she was one to talk. Did that mean Lucy was shy about her feelings too?

"I was scared she would break my legs...!" Lucy said with anime tears in her eyes, and Hinata nearly face faulted.

It was true that Sakura can be a little… Harsh at times. But break her legs?

"Erza can be scary too, but when Sakura-San gets angry, I feel like she'd literally bring the house down! Not to mention when she and Juvia had gotten into their little… feud, the guild had almost collapsed before they were finally stopped!" She didn't want to be anywhere near that anger-filled fist!

"Hehe…"

"Huh?" Lucy looked up to see Hinata giggling into her sleeve.

Hinata blushed and turned away when she noticed Lucy looking at her. "I-I'm sorry! It's just your so… Funny."

Lucy pouted. Was she making fun of her? "What do you mean I'm funny?"

Hinata shook her head. "I-I didn't mean that in a bad way! It's just… When I asked you that question, I wasn't expecting you to react the way you did. I-it was just… Funny."

Lucy felt her cheeks burn, and she looked up into the sky with her arms behind her back. "I guess Fairy Tail's really rubbed off on me, they're a quirky bunch." They were like a quirky family, and they were her quirky family.

"Yeah… I've noticed this for a while now. Everyone is so nice. They welcomed us into the guild with open arms just because we were friends of Naruto-Kun's." Hinata said and smiled fondly. "Guess he's made quite the impression here…"

Lucy smiled too. "That's Naruto for you…"

Hinata looked at Lucy and could tell that she was thinking about their shared crush. She admired the way the girl could openly talk about

"W-well it's to be expected when you're in love with someone who's constantly speaking their mind…" Lucy said with a sweatdrop, and the two shared a laugh together.

No wonder Sakura wanted to support this girl, she was so innocent. She was genially in love with Naruto. "You really love him, don't you?"

Hinata's face beamed red, a cloud of steam rising from her head.

Lucy laughed at this. "Sorry, I'm just teasing you! Since we both got what we were looking for, let's go back and get our reward." She said and the two started their way back to the stingy old man's house.

"So, what happened between you and the client Lucy-San?"

"It's a long story…"

After some friendly conversations, the two finally made it to Ethan's house.

Lucy knocked on the door, a smug look on her face. When the door opened and the old man looked out, she pulled out the mushroom. "We got your mushroom."

Ethan whistled, seemingly impressed that they had found one. "Well how 'bout that? Gimmie here!"

"Nuh-uh!" Lucy said and quickly pulled the mushroom out of reach. She then stuck her other hand out expectantly.

Ethan grumbled and handed her a bag, which they assumed had their reward in it.

Lucy took a quick peek inside, and upon seeing some bills, she smiled and happily handed the old man the mushroom. "Thank you for choosing Fairy Tail!" She chirped and spun on her heel. 'Man it feels good to be paid for their hard work! Even if it was technically Hinata that found it…'

Hinata gave a slight bow before following the blonde.

Ethan sucked his teeth. "Che! Oh well, at least I got ma lunch!"

Lucy walked across the bridge above the moat she and Juvia had built before reaching into the bag. "Just to be sure…"

 **Crunch!**

Lucy's eyebrow twitched when she pulled out the "money" they had been awarded. It was money, but it had been soaked in god-knows-what and was all crispy. Just touching the jewels made it turn into dust.

There was no way anyone would accept destroyed money!

Lucy threw the bag onto the floor turned around and glared daggers at Ethan's door. "Ugh! I cannot believe this!"

Hinata looked at the crumpled pieces of money on the ground with a small frown.

"I can't believe I got gypped again…" Lucy moped with a rain cloud pouring water down on her head.

"A-actually… I just gave him a normal mushroom." Hinata said and Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" It had looked just like a golden spotted mushroom to her, what was Hinata talking about?

"I-I used the transformation jutsu to change a normal mushroom into looking like the golden spotted one… Like this." Hinata explained and picked up a rock from the ground and made a hand sign with her free hand.

 **Poof!**

When the smoke cleared, Lucy's eyes widened.

In Hinata's hands was a golden spotted mushroom. The real one.

'She tricked them…!?' Lucy thought and looked at the girl with wide eyes.

"Um… This is the r-real golden mushroom." Hinata said and pulled out the real golden spotted mushroom before handing it to Lucy. She felt bad after hearing Lucy's story about the brothers ripping her and Juvia off, and since the old men claimed this thing was valuable, she decided to give it to Lucy.

After all, it wasn't like she needed the jewels.

It was also thanks for the kindness Lucy had shown her in the whole shared crush situation. Hinata loved Naruto, but she didn't want to hate other people just because they loved him as well. It just wasn't in her nature.

Lucy's eyes started tearing up, her bottom lip quivering.

"L-Lucy-San?" Hinata asked worriedly before she was surprised when the blonde hugged her.

"You're the best Hinata! I've wanted to get back at those old geezers ever since the last time! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lucy said and started jumping up and down.

"D-d-don't m-mention it!" Hinata stammered, her face burning from the sudden contact.

Lucy let the girl go and looked at the mushroom. "Well then, shall we go see what this thing is actually worth and head back home?"

Hinata nodded and the two continued to walk back towards the town, since the two brothers lived just outside of it.

"Oh, and no more "Lucy-San". Just call me Lucy!" Lucy said and smiled brightly.

"O-okay, L-Lucy…" Hinata stuttered.

"Wait! Were those mushrooms poisonous!?" Lucy suddenly said with wide eyes and turned around. She didn't like those old geezers, but that didn't mean she wanted them dead!

"Don't w-worry, I checked! They weren't poisonous!" Hinata said, stopping the other girl from running back to the brothers' houses. She had checked before transforming them. They were just normal mushrooms.

"Thank goodness…" Lucy said and started walking again.

This had been a surprisingly tiring trip, but at least it wasn't going to be an awkward trip back.

* * *

 **A/N: At long last, I have returned! Again!**

 **Seriously though, I do apologize for the wait. Guess I have the same habit as Kakashi… Hah…**

 **Anyway… I hope it was well worth the wait as there was quite a bit of development in this chapter.**

 **What!? Naruto having actual emotional reactions!? Damn, I guess even I can learn from the things you guys tell me in reviews. XD**

 **Speaking of reviews… We hit 600! As well as 1000 favorites! Thanks guys, I really appreciate the support! :)**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any comments/questions/concerns/hellos because I love to read feedback! It helps me learn from my mistakes!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next one! See ya!**

 **P.S. In case you didn't already know from my story status on my profile, I'm going back and reediting the chapters which I started from chapter 1. I've released the revamped chapters 1-5 so if you haven't read the changes, I suggest you do. Some chapters have bigger changes than others, but I've added things like Omakes and extra conversations that really add to the story(Chapter 4 was severely changed btw).**

 **I'm going to try and reedit chapters 6-10 before the next new chapter, but those will be pushed back if I start to take too long again.**


	35. Juvia's Feelings

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: The revised versions of chapters 6-10 are up! Chapter 8 has a very big change so be sure to reread it as it is important to the story!**

* * *

"What was that thing…?" Sam asked and rubbed his arms. He'd seen his fair share of weird and wild creatures during past expeditions, but they paled in comparison to what they had just seen.

"It was a demon." Naruto simply said, not taking his eyes off the path in front of them. After seeing that giant lava-spitting shrimp thing, who knew what else could pop up in this cave?

The tremors and the wails of the demon had stopped after a couple minutes of them walking, and that didn't sit well in Naruto's stomach. He was confident that Erza was fine, but a demon of that size and power in an enclosed area such as this could give even the most skilled of fighters some trouble.

"What's a demon doing in this cave system?" Sam wondered aloud. "Maybe there's something attracting it here… The dragon's remains perhaps?"

"Whatever it is, we'll be sure to find out once we get to the bottom of this place." Naruto said before looking back at the student. "After we meet up with everyone else."

"Yes, of course…" Sam said with a flat look. What did he take him for, a person who only cared for the expedition? "Oh look, the tunnel splits off."

Naruto faced forward again and stopped in front of the two paths. He could a very faint breeze coming from the one on the right, while the left one was giving off a scent of… salt?

"Are you sure you're okay? You lost a lot of blood with your hand earlier…" Sam asked, worried that his fellow teen would pass out from blood loss any second.

Naruto grunted. "Didn't think you'd care. But don't worry, I heal fast."

Sam what about to call him a fool when his eyes laid upon the ninja's hand, and they nearly popped out of his head when he saw that the limb was indeed healing fast. In fact, it almost looked completely normal! All that was left of the wound were small scabs and dried up blood. "Your hand… It's steaming…"

Looking at his own hand, Naruto couldn't help but smirk. 'Gotta hand it to that dumb fox, this healing factor sure comes in handy.'

' **Who are you calling a 'dumb fox', human?'**

Naruto nearly yelped when the deep, grumbling voice of the Kyuubi rumbled in his head. He almost forgot the demon could freely talk to him now. 'Don't talk to me out of nowhere like that!'

As Naruto was giving his prisoner a mind-full, Sam raised an eyebrow at the blonde's odd behavior. "What? Has the spooky cave got you jumpy?"

Naruto turned around and sent the guy an annoyed look. "No. Why would I be scared?"

' **GROARRRRRRRR!'** The Kyuubi suddenly roared, and Naruto nearly jumped through the rocky ceiling.

'What the hell was that for!?' Naruto all but screamed in his mind, but he was quickly pulled back into reality when Sam began to laugh.

"Ahahaha! I knew it! Man, Juvia-San really has." Sam said, holding his now aching stomach.

Naruto frowned. "Why are you bringing Juvia up out of nowhere?"

Sam blinked for a moment before he snorted and burst out laughing again. "Oh, your stupidity ceases to amaze me!"

' **I'll have to agree with this human on that on-Guh!'** The fox started, but was cut off when Naruto tightened the seal to shut him up.

'I'll deal with you later.' Naruto thought before glaring at Sam. "Okay, just what is your problem!? If you got something to say to me, do it now or I'll just kick your ass and leave you here!" Job or no job, he wasn't going to let this guy keep making fun of him like this! The only thing stopping him from beating the snot out of this guy was the consequences that would surely follow, which was an angered Erza.

Sam stopped laughing, and he looked at Naruto with a neutral expression. "My problem? Do you really want to know?" He asked before growling. " _You_ are the problem!"

"What are you talking about? We only just met today!" Naruto yelled, throwing his hands up in anger.

Sam took a second to calm himself, but he was still frowning. "The truth is, I met Juvia a couple months ago, while she was still a member of Phantom Lord."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this revelation, but decided to hear the boy out.

Sam continued. "It was during my first expedition, before I was under Professor Sukenik's tutelage. We hired a mage to protect us while we explored, and that's when I first laid eyes on her."

"If you already knew each other, then why did Juvia not know who you were?" Naruto asked skeptically.

Sam smiled sadly. "I was quite shy back then, so that's probably why she doesn't remember me."

'That's what the old man was talking about earlier… I guess he was telling the truth.' Naruto thought, mildly surprised that the flirtatious teen in front of him had changed so much.

"During the expedition, I had grown to admire her..." Sam said and his eyes began to sparkle. "Every time the other students picked on me, Juvia-San would yell at them with such ferocity!"

Naruto sweatdropped. That didn't sound like Juvia to him at all. (The truth was Juvia had broken up with a guy who didn't like rain that very same day, and the yelling of the students had pissed her off.)

Sam coughed into his hand, his expression returning to normal. "After the expedition, we inevitably parted ways. I would read about her achievements in the weekly sorcerer magazine, and was content with just watching her from afar. That is… Until you came along." He said and narrowed his gaze on Naruto.

"What? What did I do?" Naruto asked defensively. He was failing to see why the guy didn't like him so much.

"When Phantom Lord fell in its clash with Fairy Tail, and you started showing up in the weekly sorcerer's magazine with Juvia-San and that blonde girl, I was enraged to think that my beloved Juvia-San was being tricked!" Sam yelled with a fist clenched in front of face.

Naruto sweatdropped. ' _His_ beloved Juvia?'

Yeah, this guy was a total nutcase.

Sam shook his head. "This is why you don't deserve to stand next to Juvia-San, you don't even understand her."

That ticked Naruto off. No one told him he didn't belong with his friends. "What do you know? So what if you read some articles about me and my friends? I've been on dozens of jobs with Juvia, when you've only read about her in the Weekly Sorcerer's magazine!"

"Oh? Then what do you know about Juvia-San?" Sam asked with a gleam in his eyes. 'When I get him to falter and admit his wrongdoings, I'll tell Juvia-San everything! Then I'll be there to comfort her!'

"Lots of things!" Naruto claimed and began to list off the things he knew about the water mage. "I know that she's shy around new people, but is super nice to her friends! She likes to cook, and her ramen is first-class! She sometimes clashes with Lucy, but they're really good friends. Juvia was so happy when she joined Fairy Tail…" Naruto said and smiled fondly, remembering the smile on the girl's face that day. "But the thing that I like most about Juvia, is that she cherishes her friends the most."

Sam just stared at Naruto with a blank expression. It was clear to him now. At first he thought this person In front of him was nothing more than a player, it's what he was led to believe from reading the articles about him. But Naruto wasn't playing Juvia at all. He was just , _really_ dense. 'And the way he was talking about her just now… It was like he wasn't even saying all of this to him anymore. 'Ah, I see…'

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "She's also kinda cute when she sleeps…"

"*Sniffle!*"

"Huh?" Naruto turned around and was surprised to see Juvia standing in the mouth of the right tunnel, tears streaming down her face.

"Naruto-Sama!" Juvia cried and jumped on the blonde, her hat falling off her head. "Juvia was so worried when she lost sight of Naruto-Sama! Juvia's so happy Naruto-Sama is safe!" She wept into his chest.

Naruto smiled and pat the girl's head comfortingly. "Sorry to worry you…"

Sam smiled sadly as he watched the duo in front of him. It was his loss. No, he never stood a chance in the first place. Putting his hands in his pockets, Sam walked passed the two Fairy Tail members towards the right tunnel. "I'm guessing the professor was right behind you?"

Right after he had said that, Professor Sukenik ran into view. "Don't just go running off like that young lady-Oh! Sam!" The old man said when he nearly ran into his student.

"Don't worry professor, we're fine. How'd you find us?" Sam asked his teacher, who was currently trying to catch his breath.

"We were making our way down, when this young lady suddenly took off running!" Sukenik said, and Juvia yelped and started bowing at the old man frantically.

"J-J-Juvia's so sorry! Juvia just heard Naruto-Sama's voice, and… well…" Juvia said as a blush rushed to her face when she looked at Naruto again. "I-is what Naruto-Sama said… true?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, before he blushed furiously, remembering what he had just said in his previous conversation. "O-oh, you heard all that?"

Knowing that she heard everything was SUPER embarrassing to him for some reason.

Juvia nodded continued to look at Naruto intensely, causing him to gulp.

"W-well course..." Naruto finally said and scratched his cheek awkwardly, he then laughed and grinned a foxlike grin. "Hehe… People that cherish their friends have always been my favorite kind of people!"

Juvia gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Her blush deepened and she felt the need to look away. 'Juvia is Naruto-Sama's favorite kind of people… Juvia is Naruto-Sama's type!? Naruto-Sama also thinks Juvia is cute!' Steam began to emit from her head. 'Ah… Juvia may have fallen for Naruto-Sama all over again!'

Not being someone that was good at these types of moments, Naruto laughed and looked away in embarrassment, leaving the cave in an awkward silence.

The silence was cut short when a bellowing laughter filled the air.

"Ahahaha! Young love at its finest!" Professor Sukenik said with a wide grin on his face, causing the two teens to turn couple shades darker. "Well then, now that we've regrouped, shall we go find the others?"

Naruto snapped back to normal. "Oh yeah! Erza's still might be in trouble! Let's go!" He said and ran down the right tunnel.

"Ah, that's the wrong way Naruto-Sama!" Juvia called after the ninja and after a couple seconds, he came back and laughed awkwardly.

"Hehe… Thanks." Naruto said and ran down the correct tunnel.

Juvia giggled and chased after her love, but not before looking back at Sam. "Oh, yes! Juvia is glad Sam-San is safe as well!"

Sam smiled and waved at her half-heartily. "Thank you, Juvia-San."

When the water mage took off, Professor Sukenik pat his student on the back and the two walked down the left tunnel as well.

* * *

As Naruto and the others ran further down the tunnel, the louder the sound of rushing water grew.

Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel and walked through the opening into the light.

What they saw was the same large cavern that they were in earlier, only this time they were at the bottom. The mushrooms lighting the area were also no longer glowing red, and were back to glowing their previous blue color.

Since they were at the bottom, they noticed the waterfalls almost seemed to be symmetrical to one another. Each one having a similar distance between them.

Boulders and clumps of cooled magma lay scattered around the area, most likely from Erza's battle with the demon.

Naruto looked down to see that he had stepped into water, but it wasn't deep as it only went up to his ankles. He noticed the water was moving, so following the flowing liquid with his eyes, he could see running over the smooth rock all the way to the middle of the cavern. In the middle, was a gaping hole where the water seemed go down endlessly. There was just so much water that they hadn't noticed it before.

'That's where the demon came from.' Naruto noted before looking around. 'But…'

"Where's Erza-San?" Juvia asked while looking around for any sign of the red headed beauty.

"Don't tell me…" Sam began to say, but Naruto shook his head.

"She's alive. I know she is."

Sukenik walked towards the middle of the cavern, to the point where he was able to peer down the hole. The current wasn't strong enough to pull him in, but Naruto stuck close to the archeologist just in case. "I wonder where all of this water comes from…"

Sam walked over to the nearest waterfall and put his hand into it, he then brought the water to his mouth. "This water tastes like seawater…" He said and walked to the next waterfall. "But this one tastes like river water."

Juvia looked at one of the waterfalls on the other side of the cavern. Something felt off to her, it was almost like something was calling to her, egging her to come closer.

Noticing the glazed look on Juvia's face, Naruto waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, you alright Juvia?"

The blue haired girl blinked and shook her head. "Y-yes… Juvia thinks we should look over there." Juvia said and pointed at the waterfall that she had been staring at.

Naruto looked across the cavern and raised an eyebrow. The only thing noticeable was the waterfall and the now destroyed entrance Erza and the others had come through. "I don't see anything over there…"

"Naruto? Juvia? Is that you?"

The group turned to see Erza come out from behind one of the waterfalls, and they instantly surrounded the girl.

"Erza-San!"

"You're okay!"

Erza nodded before wincing and holding onto her right arm.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"I think it's dislocated…" Erza said through grit teeth. During her battle with the demon she had tried to attack various places in an attempt to find a weak spot, but the monster had smacked her out of the air and into a hidden entryway behind one of the waterfalls, which she had been walking around aimlessly until now.

"I can pop it back in for you." Naruto said while gently placing his hands onto the redhead's now unarmored arm.

Erza nodded before steeling herself.

 **Pop!**

"Guh!"

Juvia, Sam, and Sukenik all winced from the sound of Erza's arm being relocated.

"So, I take it the demon escaped?" Naruto asked and looked at the hole in the middle of the cavern, since that was the only place the behemoth would fit.

"Yes... After I disappeared from its sight, it went back into the water." Erza said and clenched her left hand. "I can't believe I let it get away! Someone, hit me!"

They all sweatdropped at the knight's order.

Sam walked over to the waterfall Erza had come out from behind. "If there's a hidden entrance behind this waterfall, could there be more behind the others?"

"Only one way to find out!" Naruto said and created seven shadow clones, and they began to run towards the other waterfalls.

"Nope!"

"Not this one!"

"Negative!"

"There's one here!

"Not this one either!"

"I found another one!"

As the last clone neared the last waterfall, the mushrooms began to glow red again, and the cavern began to shake.

"Here it comes again!" Sam yelled with a frightened look on his face.

"There's a big room in this one!" The clone shouted before dispersing itself.

The demon must be protecting something in that room!" Sukenik exclaimed.

"With all of us here, we'll defeat it together!" Erza shouted and requiped a sword into her hand, but she winced in pain when she tried to grip the sword with her previously dislocated arm.

Noticing this, Naruto pointed towards the waterfall with the big room behind it. "Take everyone into that waterfall, I'll take care of this thing!"

Erza looked at Naruto with stern eyes. "By yourself?"

Naruto grinned. "'No holding back', remember?" Of course, that didn't apply to him fighting demons, but he knew Erza would get his point.

Erza smiled, before turning towards the others. "Stay close to me!"

 **Splash!**

The demon burst out of the water with a sickening shriek.

Naruto looked up at the monstrosity with a confident grin. "Show time!"

"Let's do this, Naruto-Sama!"

"Yeah-wait, what!?" Naruto shouted and turned to see Juvia standing next to him while staring at the demon with a serious expression, and passed her was Erza and the others running towards their destination. "I thought I told you to-" Naruto started before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You're not going to go with the others even if I told you to, are you?"

"Nope!" Juvia chirped.

Naruto sighed in defeat before turning serious again. There was no time to argue, and he had to keep that thing away from Erza and their clients.

The demon turned its attention towards the fleeting trio and looked as if it were about to attack them.

"Juvia, get its attention!" Naruto said as he activated Sage Mode, and the blue haired girl nodded.

"Yes, Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said and waved her around in a circular fashion. As she did this, the water surrounding them began to swirl. 'With all this water, Juvia will be able to focus more magic on power!'

The water vortex rose into the air until it was about the same height as the demon.

" **Water Nebula!"** Juvia shouted and the vortex rammed into the side of the demon, causing it to crash into the walls of the cavern away from Erza and the others.

"Nice one Juvia!" Naruto said and took off running towards the recovering beast. Jumping onto its back, Naruto raised his fists into the air and slammed down as hard as he could.

 **Crack!**

" **Groaaaaaaaar!"** The demon shrieked and shook the ninja off its back.

Naruto landed on top of the water and shook his hands. "Geez! What is that thing's shell made out of, diamonds!?" He had put almost all of his strength into that attack, but he had barely even cracked it.

'Its lower half is still submerged, so we don't even know how big it truly is yet…' Juvia muttered as the giant rose back up, towering over the two. 'At least Erza-San and the others were able to make into the waterfall safely.'

The demon's mouth opened and they could see the burning lava bubbling up its throat.

"Woah!" Naruto jumped into the air to avoid being cooked alive when it shot a stream of lava at him, but while he was suspended in the air, he barely managed to put his arms up in defense when something shot out of the water and smacked him out of the air and into the cave walls.

Steam filled the cavern as the magma was cooled.

"It has a tail!?" Juvia said as three more tails emerged from the water, for a total of four. The four armored tails swished around the air behind the crustacean, all armed with sharp spikes.

'Four tails? This can't be a coincidence…' Naruto thought as he pulled himself out of the wall and landed on top of the water again. Luckily, he hadn't been hit by the spikes, otherwise it surely would have pierced his flesh.

Seeing the blonde get back up, the demon screeched again and sent its impossibly long tails out to crush him.

Naruto jumped back and began to run up the cave wall as the tails crushed the spot he had been standing, but the appendages didn't stop there and they began to trail him. Naruto kicked off the wall when one finally caught up to him and he began to fall.

In an attempt to help her love, Juvia swiped her arms furiously, launching a barrage of Water Slicers at the demon. But it proved futile as the water merely splashed off of it harmlessly.

As if annoyed by the attacks, the demon turned its head towards the water mage and fired off a ball of magma.

Juvia slid on the water like ice to avoid the ball of molten rock, but her vision was obscured when the cave was filled with even more steam.

'Crap! I can't see!' Naruto thought as the steam consumed his body. Using his enhanced senses, Naruto swerved in the air to avoid two of the tails coming at him, slapped his hand on another to flip over it, before finally landing on the water gracefully.

"Naruto-Sama is so graceful~!" Juvia cooed, the steam having cleared a little just enough for her to be able to see Naruto's actions.

'Gotta find a weak spot.' Naruto thought and created a small army of clones and they all began to jump around the demon in random directions, all while hitting it in various places in an attempt to find a weak point.

"What's the plan, Naruto-Sama?" Juvia asked when the real Naruto landed next to her, still a little giddy over the ninja's deft performance.

"We gotta do something about that lava…" Naruto said absentmindedly as he watched his clones dance around the demon. It was spouting lava everywhere, which was causing more and more steam to rise. It was getting so thick, the number of clones were beginning to dwindle from their lack of vision.

Because they were in a cave, his options were limited. Unless he wanted to cause a cave-in, that meant none of the giant toads, no using his brute strength too wildly, and no Rasenshuriken. 'I could try writing some runes to restrict the it's movements… No, I wouldn't have enough time.'

But he had to think of something fast or the demon was going to bring the cave down on all of them.

"This steam is getting ridiculous!" One of the clones complained.

"Hey, let's try plugging that thing's mouth!" Another suggested, and a dozen of them grouped up to form a line of Rasengan armed clones.

"Charge!" The clone in the middle yelled and the group sprang forth towards the rampaging giant.

"That's it!" Naruto said and whispered his plan into Juvia's ear, and the girl nodded faithfully.

"Juvia will take care of the steam!" Juvia said and raised her hands, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She used her magic to start collecting all the excess water in the air until little by little, the steam began to fade, and a mass of water began to form above the water mage.

"Okay, I'll take care of the rest!" Naruto said and ran up to a nearby boulder, he grabbed onto it and effortlessly lifted the object out of the water. The only clones left were the ones with charged Rasengans. They were currently trying to climb to the beast's its mouth, but their task was proving difficult as the demon was flailing its body around to shake them off.

'Hope they're thinking what I'm thinking!' Naruto thought and threw the boulder when he found the moment he was waiting for. "Now, Juvia!"

"Okay, Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said and the water above her surged forward.

There were three clones left, and they were right below the demon's mouth.

"Now!" One of the clones shouted and they all jumped above the creature's head, their Rasengans expanding in size.

The demon looked up at the glowing orbs and opened its mouth to fire another shot of lava.

 **Clank!**

Right before it could shoot the stream of molten rock, a boulder. Lava gushed from the sides of its mouth as it tried to get it out, but the rock was too wedged in.

" **Water Nebula!"**

 **Splash!**

The water Juvia collected slammed into the boulder, cooling the lava and sealing it to demon's mouth. But the attack didn't end there when the shadow clones rammed their Rasengans onto the top of its head.

"Raaaaaaaah!" The clones shouted in unison as the giant spheres grinded into the seemingly unbreakable shell, before they heard a cracking noise and their Rasengans exploded.

"Direct hit!" Naruto cheered and thrust a fist into the air.

The crustacean made a gurgling noise before it collapsed into the shallow water, and its body began to slowly slide back into the water.

As if to confirm the monster's defeat, the mushrooms went back to glowing their original blue color once again.

When the demon completely submerged into the water, Juvia sighed in relief and sank to her knees. "Thank goodness…"

Naruto ran up to the girl and knelt next to her. "Juvia! Are you okay?"

Juvia nodded and smiled weakly. "Juvia is just tired… That last attack took the last of Juvia's magic power." Even with all of the water around them, commanding that much liquid required a lot of magic power.

Naruto smiled and helped the girl to her feet. "I'm glad you stayed to help me, I couldn't have done that without you!"

Juvia blushed, her imagination running wild. 'Glad you stayed… Couldn't have done it without you… Naruto-Sama can't live without Juvia!?'

Naruto looked toward the waterfall, just barely missing Juvia's dangerous expression. "We should go see what Erza and the others found."

Juvia shook her head, reluctantly cutting her fantasy short. "Y-yes… We should do that."

They stood up and started walking towards the waterfall where the others were waiting for them, but when they were half-way there Juvia suddenly fell to her knees again.

"Juvia! What's wrong?" Naruto asked, looking her over to see if there were any noticeable wounds.

"Juvia is more tired than she originally thought…" Juvia said while shaking her head.

"Here, hop on. I'll carry you." Naruto said and crouched in front of the mage, and the girl more than happily complied by resting herself on the blonde's back with her arms intertwined around his neck.

"Naruto-Sama is so kind…" Juvia said in a sweet voice as he lifted her up. But in her mind, she was silently cheering. 'Juvia is going all out!' With that that said, she further pressed herself onto the blonde's back.

Naruto blushed. Their clothes were soaked to the point where they were sticking to them like a second layer of skin, so he could pretty much feel every part of the girl on his back. "I-I wonder if they found anything in there..." Naruto said nervously, trying to keep his mind from wandering.

Juvia hummed in thought as they neared the waterfall. She could feel it again, she could feel something calling to her inside the cave.

They looked behind the waterfall and found that there was indeed an opening.

Naruto looked back at Juvia and upon see her nod, he walked inside.

The place was barely lit from a few mushrooms hanging down from the ceiling, and they could hardly see anything. But upon their entry, torches lined up on both sides began to light up from the entrance to the end of the room.

Naruto and Juvia shielded their eyes as the new light source temporarily blinded them. When they could open their eyes, they gasped. Not because of their three comrades they could now see, but the object that lay behind those comrades.

Laying in the very back of the room, was the full skeleton of a dragon. It was lying curled up in a shallow pool with water falling on its head from the ceiling, making it look like water was pouring out of its eyes.

"Marvelous… Absolutely marvelous!" Sukenik said, snapping everyone present out of their shock.

"We did it…" Sam said in complete awe. "It was an epitaph, this is the tomb of a dragon! There's a dragon right in front of our very eyes!"

Erza turned around and ran up to the two newcomers. "Naruto! Juvia! You defeated the demon?"

Naruto placed Juvia down on her feet and the two smiled at each other. "Yup!"

Erza watched the duo and smiled herself. "You two make quite the team."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while Juvia clasped her cheeks. "Erza-San, you're embarrassing Juvia~!"

Chuckling at their reactions, Erza looked up at the ceiling. She hoped if Jellal was able to get the other students to the top okay.

"Oh! What is this!?"

The three looked to find Professor Sukenik scurrying around the skeleton, taking notes as he did so.

"What'd you find, old man?" Naruto asked as they walked up to the corpse, but he had to take a step back when the man suddenly ran up to him and got all up in his face.

"This is an extraordinary discovery my boy! These are the bones of a dragon! I believe it died several hundred years ago, but it still appears to have a magical presence!" He said and ran off to further study the skeleton.

"I-is that so…" Naruto said before he looked at the skeleton in wonder. 'I wonder…' Entering sage mode, Naruto felt that there was indeed a magical presence. A strong one at that. But it was coming from underneath the dragon's head. 'What is that… huh?'

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts when Juvia brushed past him, the same glazed expression on her face. "Juvia?"

Juvia didn't respond and stepped into jaws of the dragon. The mouth of the ancient being was propped open, so she was able to stand inside at her full height.

"Juvia? What are you doing?" Erza asked as she watched the girl's strange behavior.

"Juvia could feel it…" Juvia mumbled as she touched one of the massive teeth.

"Feel what?" Naruto asked before his eyes widened. The magical presence he felt underneath the dragon was beginning to grow. "Juvia! Get out of there!"

"Something was calling to Juvia… and that something, was this-"

 **Chomp!**

Naruto was too late reach the girl and the jaws of the dragon closed, trapping the water mage inside.

"Juvia!" He yelled and was about to punch the skull when they were all propelled back by an invisible force.

Naruto was back on his feet in a second and he ran towards the skeleton, only to be stopped by a wall of water that rose from the pool and circled the dragon corpse. "Juvia!"

* * *

Juvia opened her eyes and found that she was underwater. 'What!? W-where…!?' It looked as though she was at the bottom of the ocean, if the coral reefs and schools of fish were any indication.

' _ **We are in your mind, child.'**_

Juvia yelped when she heard a deep, yet strangely feminine voice. She twirled around for the owner of the voice only for her jaw to drop when she found a leviathan floating just behind her.

It was a dragon, no doubt about it, and it was a deep blue in color with blue-greenish wings that looked more like fins folded behind its back. Its long tail was had a large greenish fin at the end of it. It looked like a flying sea serpent, but with arms and legs.

The dragon stared at Juvia with piercing blue eyes. _**'Hello, my child.'**_

'Wha…' Juvia sputtered, finding her words trapped in her throat.

The dragon was opening its mouth to talk, but no words came out. Yet, Juvia was able hear exactly what it was saying in her head. _**'Yes, I am speaking directly into your mind through telepathy. For we are in your mindscape.'**_

Juvia resisted the urge to run away from the intimidating being, and asked the obvious question. 'W-what do you want with Juvia?'

' _ **I am Tiamat, the Sea King dragon! Goddess of the Sea!'**_ The dragon announced with authority in its voice as it spread its wings out, creating several massive whirlpools around them. _**'I have been waiting in this cave for someone worthy of inheriting my power.'**_

Putting the puzzle pieces together, Juvia looked up in surprise. 'That someone, is Juvia?'

The dragon nodded. _**'I have been watching your group since you first stepped foot into my tomb, and you are indeed worthy of inheriting my power. If you are willing, that is.'**_

'W-wait a second, Tiamat-San! Juvia is so confused!' Juvia said, holding her spinning head. 'This is all so sudden! Why Juvia?'

Tiamat's eyes softened. _**'I apologize. I will try to tell you enough for you to understand.'**_

Juvia nodded thankfully and the sea dragon proceeded to tell her tale.

' _ **Many years ago, I used to be a dragon that hated humans. I was ignorant and couldn't stand the thought of such tiny beings learning our magic. But minutes before my passing, I came to realize how foolish I had been and even came to regret not befriending the humans. For you see, an old friend of mine had taught a disciple of his own. So, I enchanted my power into a lacrima so that I may one day pass it onto the disciple I never had.'**_

'But why Juvia?' The girl asked, failing to see why the dragon had chosen her. The only thing she could think of was their shared element, water. But that couldn't have been the only reason.

' _ **Yes, as you've guessed, that is not the reason I have chosen you.'**_ Tiamat said before smiling softly.

Juvia sweatdropped. 'Tiamat-San is a bit of a know-it-all, isn't she?'

'… _ **I've been told that is one of my quirks, yes.'**_ The dragon said with a sweatdrop of her own. _**'It was not the magic that you use, but the passion you feel that is endless like the sea. The bond that you share with the boy. Your love. Only someone with the purest of bonds may use my power.'**_

Juvia clasped her blushing cheeks and wiggled around. 'Naruto-Sama is Juvia's most important person in the world~!'

Tiamat chuckled, and leaned her head closer to the human. _**'You wish to stand by that boy's side so you constantly throw yourself at him, and yet, you still hesitate. Why is that, if I may ask?'**_

Juvia stopped and just floated in the water, a frown forming on her face. 'Juvia isn't the only one after Naruto-Sama's heart. In fact, Juvia wasn't even the first one to love him. But the rivals just keep popping up and… Juvia is afraid of being left behind...' She admitted, tears forming in her eyes. There was also Mirajane. Dear god, Mirajane. Juvia didn't even know what to think of that situation anymore. Mirajane had been there for her since the day she had joined Fairy Tail, and helped her with her rivalry against Lucy for Naruto's affection. But if even the beautiful barmaid and cover girl Mirajane Strauss was in love with Naruto, who did she have to rely on for help?

Tiamat hummed in acknowledgement. _**'I see… Never make decisions when you are angry. For damaged bonds are a tricky fix, and you must remember to treat these situations prudently. Friendship is something that I sense you cherish more than anything. But surely that is not the only reason, now is it? That human… He is powerful, I can sense it. You wish to protect him, but know that you can't.'**_

Juvia blinked in surprise. What was this dragon, a psychologist? But she was right, Juvia knew just how powerful Naruto was compared to her. Even if he had thanked earlier when they had defeated that demon, she knew he was only being nice and probably could have fought it by himself. That was one of things she loved about him though. No matter the situation, Naruto was always so kind to her. Even if she messed up, he would help her with that lovable grin on his face. That's why she would never give up her advances, never falter, until Naruto felt the same way about her.

The same went for Mirajane. Even if the girl developed feelings for Naruto, the girl was still her friend, and always would be. They were now just rivals going after the same knuckleheaded guy. But Juvia wasn't going to lose!

' _ **Wonderful… Just, wonderful.'**_ The water dragon said and Juvia's eyes widened in realization. _**'You are truly ready to inherit my power. What say you, my child? Will you become my dragon slayer?'**_

'Tiamat-San…' Juvia thought, her lip quivering. In the short few minutes Juvia had known the dragon, she had cleared away all the doubt in her mind. And with the dragon's power, she would be able stand by Naruto's side! Maybe even protect him!

' _ **Stand with him you shall! Now, absorb my lacrima! Show the world the power of the sea!'**_ Tiamat roared, and the world around them began to swirl.

'Goodbye Tiamat-San… Juvia will never forget you.'

* * *

When Juvia opened her eyes again, she found herself in the skull of the dragon again. She could faintly hear the sound of rushing water on the other side of the bones, along with the faint sound of shouting.

A grinding noise filled her ears and Juvia looked down to see a pedestal slowly rising out of the ground, a brilliantly bright stone resting on it.

'It's so…. Beautiful.' Juvia thought in awe as the pedestal stopped moving. Placing her hands on the lacrima, she felt a familiar presence.

 _Be strong, my child._

A knowing smile on her lips, Juvia brought the stone to her heart and the sea king dragon slayer lacrima began to shine even brighter.

* * *

"Juvia!" Naruto shouted and rammed a Rasengan into the water wall, but it proved fruitless once again as the invisible force pushed him back. "Guh!"

Erza ran up to blonde and helped him up. "Naruto, stop! You need to calm down!" He had been doing the same thing over and over for the past ten minutes, and Erza was worried he was going to seriously hurt himself.

"But… Juvia is still in there!" Naruto said as he struggled to stand. Juvia had been trapped in there for over ten minutes now, and Naruto could sense the magical presence growing even stronger.

"Wait! The water's starting to fall!" Sam pointed out, and they all looked at the liquid barrier.

The water fell back into the pool, revealing Juvia standing outside of the now open jaws of the skeleton.

"Juvia, you're okay!" Naruto shouted, relief visibly spreading across his features. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward the girl. "What happened to you in there?"

"Juvia came here looking for answers, and she found them." Juvia said and met him half-way.

The ninja was about to ask her what she was talking about when Juvia suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pressed her lips against his own. Naruto's eyes shot open. "Mmmph!?"

The other three present dropped their jaws at the blue haired girl's bold move.

Sukenik glanced behind the two and noticed the pedestal in the dragon's mouth. 'Interesting… I wonder what was on that pedestal.'

After a couple long seconds, Juvia ended the kiss before she looked Naruto dead in the eye. "Juvia loves Naruto-Sama. Not. Gray."

Naruto nodded dumbly as he stared at the girl in bewilderment, his mind racing in different directions.

"Honestly, Juvia doesn't even know where Naruto-Sama got that idea…" Juvia said and hugged the staggered teen. She then noticed the state the blonde was in. He had cuts and bruises all over his form and his clothes worn torn in various places, especially his right arm. "N-Naruto-Sama! What happened!?"

Naruto, still trying to comprehend the situation, cracked a small smile. "I, uh… Was worried about you, and was trying to get you out of there…"

Juvia let out a small gasp, before she smiled and embraced her love again. "Juvia is so happy…"

A small blush of her own, Erza coughed into her hand. "Juvia, what happened in there?"

Juvia pulled herself away from the blonde and smiled brightly. "Juvia's a dragon slayer now!"

"Ehhhhh!?"

* * *

 **At The Campsite…**

Jellal sighed. He had just gotten the students out of the cave and was about to go back in, but he had this feeling that everything was already over. Even the light tremors coming from the cave had long stopped, so he could only assume they defeated the creature. 'I guess I couldn't be there for Erza again…'

Suddenly, Jellal felt chokingly large killer intent behind him.

"Aw, I was too late? Dang, and it took me weeks to find this place too…" A man with medium length burnt orange hair said as he rubbed the back of his head, a troubled look on his face. He was wearing black and white robes A distinctive scar lined across the bridge of his nose. Realizing he wasn't alone, the man then looked at Jellal as if noticing him for the first time and the malicious feeling disappeared. "Oh? And who might you be?"

"…" Jellal gulped. Never in his life had he felt such a powerful magical presence! "Mystogan… A mage of Fairy Tail."

The man smiled slightly, almost playfully, which put Jellal on edge. "Fairy Tail... huh? Interesting."

Jellal was surprised when the man turned around and began to leave.

"I may actually have some fun in the nearby future. Haha!"

Jellal let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'What terrifying person…' He prayed to the gods they didn't have to face that man in the future. Just by presence alone, he knew the only person who stand up to him was Naruto. "Well, I better make sure everyone is okay…"

With that, Jellal made his way into the ruins.

* * *

 **A/N: As of this chapter, no more "emotionally retarded" Naruto as someone once put it. XD**

 **There's a new confident Juvia in the house! How many people saw that one coming?**

 **Speaking of Juvia, what do you think of her becoming a second-generation dragon slayer? I've actually hinted at this a couple of times in the past, and I was pretty excited to finally add this element into the story! Since there wasn't much shown in the manga with God Serena, what kind of powers should the Sea King Dragon Slayer have? Review to give your suggestions!**

 **Yes, that was God Serena at the end in case any of you were confused. We don't know what he's been doing before the war arc in Fairy Tail so I thought it'd be cool if he made a cameo, and now Juvia has the Sea King dragon slayer lacrima instead of him!**

 **For those who couldn't tell what the demon was, here's a hint. Ever heard of a sea-monkey?**

 **Sam met Juvia in the past, but she didn't remember him because of his once timid nature. I guess you can say he was a little… salty? :3**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S. If you like the original Fairy Tail theme song, I made another remix of it and I gotta say that it's by far my best work yet! I'll put the link in profile if anyone wants to listen to it. :)**


	36. A Small Request

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: Shout out to my beta redlox2 for really helping me out with this chapter!**

* * *

"Ah~ It feels good to be back…" Lucy said as she rested her head on the cool bar. Having returned from her job with Hinata the day before, she was now resting in the guild to wait for her partner's return.

Hinata had been with her a few minutes ago before the girl left with Sakura, saying something about a meeting with the other ninja. But none of that mattered to Lucy now, she was just going to take it easy for the rest of the day.

No more emotionally stressful talks, no more tricky old geezers, just a peaceful and relaxing day at Fairy Tai-

"Hey! Is Naruto back yet? I wanna fight him again!"

"Keep it down Natsu! Some of us are trying to have civil conversations! Not that a fighting obsessed freak like you would understand."

"What'd you say Gray!? Are you picking a fight with me?"

As the teens began to scrap, Lucy maintained her peaceful appearance.

'Yup… Just another peaceful day at Fairy Tail…' The girl thought with a twitching eyebrow.

"Aren't you worried about him Lu-Chan? Naruto, I mean… This is the first time you haven't gone with them on a job before, isn't it?" Levy asked worriedly, but was quickly dismissed by the busty blonde.

"Oh please, this is Naruto we're talking about! If by any slim chance those two had some sort of development during one job together, I'd personally read one of those articles from the Weekly Sorcerer's magazine to Sakura-San!" Lucy said and began laughing to herself, that is until the front doors of the guild swung open.

When the guild suddenly went silent, Lucy and Levy turned around to see what everyone was looking at and gulped when they saw Juvia, Erza, and Jellal walk in.

Everyone was dead silent as the three walked towards the bar, even Natsu and Gray had stopped fighting to watch nervously. The person they were watching, more specifically, was Juvia.

But it was to be expected. If the rumors of Mirajane falling in love with Naruto were true, then it would only be natural Juvia would be furious.

"It's Juvia, do you think she's gonna pick a fight with Mira-Chan?" A guild member whispered.

"If that happens, I'm getting the hell outa here!" Another said.

"Hey, Naruto isn't here… Do you think something happened?" Macao whispered to his old pal, implying something happened between the ninja and the water mage.

Wakaba scoffed. "That Naruto? No way!"

Cana watched Juvia with a calculating eye. 'If Naruto's not here, then something must have happened. It's weird for him not to show up with them… That would also explain why Juvia isn't going for Mirajane's throat right about now.' In all honesty, she had expected the girl to barge in here and wreak havoc. But seeing as the girl was perfectly calm, it only proved to support Cana's suspicions.

"We're back, Mira." Erza said, oblivious to the whispering as they walked up to the white-haired beauty behind the counter. "Where's master?"

"Master's out for a meeting regarding "that"." Mirajane said as she placed down the dishes she had been cleaning. The upcoming conversation would require her full attention. She wanted to ask where Naruto was, but that was clearly not an option at the moment.

Erza hummed. "Is it that time already? Well, no matter. I better find Sakura and apologize for leaving without saying anything…" With that said, Erza turned on her heal and walked off to find the pink haired girl. She glanced at Natsu, who seemed to be watching the bar with a nervous Gray. 'Hm… Juvia should be able to tell him about the dragon skeleton in my stead.'

"Um…" Jellal mumbled, eyeing the two girls in front of him wearily. He did not want to be in the middle of them if they began to fight. "I'll uh… Go with Erza."

As Jellal scurried off to follow his redheaded friend, Mirajane gave the best smile she could manage.

"Welcome back, Juvia…"

The guild went completely silent as everyone focused on the two girls, but this didn't seem to affect the barmaid as she stared directly at the girl in front of her. She had made her decision.

"Juvia… I-" Mirajane started but Juvia put a hand up to stop her, and Mira felt her heart sink.

She knew it. Deep down she knew Juvia wouldn't forgive her betrayal… But she wouldn't back down now! Even though she felt bad, Mirajane Strauss still had her pride as a woman. A woman that was in love!

Everyone gulped as the atmosphere became more tense. This was a showdown between two very powerful women, both fighting over the same man. A man named Naruto Uzumaki.

Lucky bastard.

Juvia looked up at the girl in front of her, a wide range of emotions swimming through her eyes. The memories of their almost student/teacher relationship flashing before the both of them.

Mirajane almost gulped from the intensity of the stare. This was it. The moment she had been dreading for the last couple of days. In just a couple seconds she would lose one of her dearest friends, and that girl was now smiling-

"It's okay!" Juvia chirped rather cheerfully, catching the entire guild flatfooted.

"EH~!?" They all screamed in unison.

Mirajane blinked, she too hadn't expected the girl to outright forgive her so easily. "B-but I… I mean, I was supporting you and I-"

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia understands, because Naruto-Sama is the best! It's only natural Mira-San would fall for his charms. Besides…" She gained a smug look. "Juvia is now one step ahead of ALL her rivals."

"I-is that so?" Mirajane said awkwardly. She wanted to know what the girl was talking about, but couldn't bring herself to ask. Juvia was already lifting a huge weight off her shoulders as it was, and Mirajane didn't want to push her luck.

"I can't believe it…" Macao muttered in awe.

"That girl is either the nicest girl I've ever seen, or the craziest… I'm gonna go with the second choice." Wakaba said before a hand stretched out in front of them.

"Chalk it over, boys." Cana said with a cheeky grin, and the two drinking buddies sighed in defeat as they handed the girl the jewels they owed her. They had made a bet whether there would be a fight or not. Cana, the winner, had bet the two wouldn't fight and would make up. 'Good for you, Mira.'

Elfman was balling his eyes out, overwhelmed with happiness that his sister was able to make up with her friend. 'Nee-Chan!'

Levy gaped and turned to Lucy to see her friend's reaction, but she was surprised found the girl smiling. "You knew this would happen, didn't you Lu-Chan…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Lucy responded innocently, the smile never leaving her face.

Juvia loved Naruto more than anything in this world, that much was obvious. But right after that, her friends held a big place in her heart and Lucy knew Juvia wouldn't be able to bring herself to truly hate Mirajane for falling for Naruto as well.

'Speaking of Naruto, where is that guy…?' Lucy thought as she looked around for her fellow blonde, but found he was nowhere to be found. There was obviously more to the story, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. Lucy was happy for Juvia, but she had her own love to worry about.

Juvia giggled at the guild's obvious surprised state, before she blinked when remembered something important. "Oh, and Juvia's a Dragon Slayer now too."

"EH~!?"

* * *

Naruto sat in a meditative position on a tree branch just outside of the town. Birds had begun to gather around the sage, one even perching itself on his head. He had taken off his sage cloak, the sleeves of the things were a shredded mess. He'd have to ask Mira or Hinata if they could stitch it up for him later.

' _You better make Juvia-San happy, or I'll never forgive you…'_ Sam had told Naruto before he and the others had left the excavation site, and those words echoed in his mind. The guy had been dead serious, and Naruto knew it.

'Make her happy… huh?' Naruto thought and sighed. He still couldn't believe this was happening.

Juvia loved him.

Not just as a comrade and friend, but a real, romantic relationship! She wanted to be with HIM! Never in his dreams did he think someone would have those sorts of feelings for him. Just the thought of Juvia saying those words again made him feel something he had never felt before.

Excitement, and that giddy feeling you got that felt like there were butterflies fluttering around in your stomach.

Naruto chuckled softly. All those times she had been super nice to him, like cooking him food or latching onto him affectionately. They were all showcases of Juvia's feelings for him, and he was a fool to not have noticed earlier. Naruto could only imagine what the others thought.

If only he knew.

But what was he going to do now? He had to respond to her feelings. That's what people did after being confessed to, right? Even he knew that much. The only problem is, he was in a really, really, complicated situation.

Naruto was from another dimension, and he had to find a way home no matter what. He had so many promises to keep, dreams he had to fulfil. But now a girl from another dimension was saying that she loved him! What would happen if he left and couldn't come back?

An image of Juvia's crying face flashed in Naruto's mind, which struck a stinging sensation in his heart.

Naruto growled in frustration. "Argh! Why do I have to make decisions like this!"

'… **You really are the most thickheaded human I have ever met.'** The deep voice of the Kyuubi echoed in his head.

Oh yeah, he had come out here to talk with the demon fox to distract him from his twisted feelings. He had untightened the seal so the demon could speak with him again, but he ended up becoming lost in his thoughts.

'Don't start with me…' Naruto thought sourly, which caused the ancient being to chuckle darkly.

' **There is only one other human that could compare to your level of denseness, only it wasn't as amusing as this.'**

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled with burning cheeks, causing the birds around him to take off flying. 'You know what I wanted to talk about…' He could almost feel the demon snicker.

' **Yes, yes. The demon you fought in the cave… A pale imitation of a tailed beast. That overgrown ape could have incinerated that cheap knock-off in an instant!'** The fox shouted almost angrily.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'Overgrown ape? No, never mind… So it was a demon made by Zeref…' Then did that mean there was more of those 'tailed demons'? This last one had been the biggest and most powerful out of all of the demons Naruto had faced her in Earthland, and he could only assume the rest of them would be stronger.

He would need to be ready for them.

' **It seems you're planning on coming for my power soon…'** The Kyuubi said, a hint of challenge in its tone.

So, the old fox knew? Well it was to be expected, with their minds being connected the way they were. 'Yeah, I'll be coming for you soon fuzzball. You better prepare yourself or you'll be in for a big surprise.'

' **Big talk when you can't even use four tail's worth of my chakra without going berserk!'** The demon shot back, and Naruto almost lost his meditative position.

'Wha- Just you wait! I've been working on some techniques that'll shock even you!'

' **Heh, we shall see… But know that this has all only been the tip of the iceberg, kit.'** The Kyuubi said in a cryptic tone before going silent.

Naruto was about to question the fox when he heard a voice down below.

"So this is where you were."

Opening his eyes and tilting his head down, Naruto spotted Lucy looking up at him. She had a serious look on her face, but didn't seem angry. 'Oh yeah, I didn't hi to everyone at the guild before coming here… She must be wondering why?'

Hopping down from the tree, Naruto waved at her half-heartily. "Hey... Sorry I didn't show up at the guild. I just… had something on my mind and I needed some time to think."

'Something on his mind? And he seems kind of down… Something did happen.' Lucy deducted before crossing her arms. "Well, out with it. Did something happen during your job?"

Naruto blinked at the girl's sudden command, he really couldn't get away with much when Lucy was involved. Though he hadn't even try to mask his troubled state. "Something, you say…" He blushed, the image of Juvia kissing him still fresh on his mind.

Lucy narrowed her eyes on the boy, but deep down she was worried. That was a very flustered look Naruto was giving, and flustered looks like that only came from one thing. "Did something happen between you and Juvia?"

Naruto flinched, before he sat down on the grass and held his head. "I'm in trouble Lucy… During the job, she kissed me and said she loved me out of nowhere! I'm so confused right now and don't know what to do…"

Lucy's head drooped, her bangs shadowing her features. She didn't think the girl would be so bold as to do such a thing, but she did it. Juvia kissed Naruto. "…How did you respond?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I'm so bad with these sort of things… I was completely caught off guard. I didn't know what to do, so I came here when we got off the train… It's just like that time with Edo-Wendy…" He said, mumbling the last part to the point where Lucy missed it. The cat was out of the bag, so he might as well come clean.

Lucy knelt in front of Naruto, until they were face to face.

Feeling her do so, Naruto looked up and saw stars.

 **BONK!**

Naruto held his now thumping head in pain. Did Lucy just hit him?

"Honestly, how could you be so inconsiderate of a girl's feelings!" Lucy huffed and stood back up, crossing her arms in a fit.

Naruto held his head down in shame. He would take his punishment, because she was right. He could only imagine what Juvia had felt every time Naruto called 'Oh yeah, Gray… I gotta apologize to him too.'

Lucy continued to scold the boy. "I understand you were confused, but when a girl confesses to you, you have to give her a straight answer!"

"I really have been messing up a lot recently, haven't I?" Naruto said, chuckling softly at his own stupidity.

Lucy frowned, before she took a seat next to her moping partner against the tree. "It's not your fault… Okay, maybe it kinda is your fault. But you need to realize how hard it is to convey your feelings to the one you love… Juvia knows that it's a difficult situation for you right now, but I can understand why she would do it despite all that." She said with a knowing look in her eyes, because she was in the same exact situation. "One day you might leave us and never be able to come back, and… I'm sure Juvia just doesn't want to regret never telling you the truth."

Naruto looked at his fellow blonde in slight surprise, before lightly shaking his head. "You know Lucy… out of everyone in the guild that I've come to know, you've always been the one person I could always rely on." He said, which brought a surprised look to the girl.

"What are you talking about? I'm not that reliable…" Lucy said with a sad smile. "I'm always relying on you for things… You're always saving me when I can't save myself. I doubt I even would have made it to Fairy Tail without you…"

"Then I guess we rely on each other." Naruto said and the two smiled at each other.

"Quit trying to change the subject… Baka." Lucy said and pushed Naruto playfully, and the boy chuckled before standing up and stretching.

"Thanks, Lucy. I know what I have to do now."

Lucy looked up at the shinobi and his new look of determination. 'Well, looks like I helped Naruto sort out his feelings. For better or worse…' She would find out when they got to the guild.

After Naruto helped the girl up, the two began to walk back into town.

"Since you mentioned it, I have been paying for the rent a lot recently. It's like you're staying with me now!" Naruto joked, and Lucy fumed.

"Hey! I'll have you know I went on a job with Hinata, and we made quite a bit of rent money!" Lucy claimed and Naruto pat her head playfully, much to the girl's annoyance.

"Hai, hai."

* * *

 **Fairy Tail…**

"Y-you're really a dragon slayer now?" Natsu asked Juvia, sniffing the air around her a couple times. While she did smell like a dragon slayer, her scent was more like Laxus than his own.

"Yes, Juvia found a Sea King dragon slayer lacrima and absorbed it. Now please stop smelling Juvia, Natsu-San." Juvia said with a flat look.

"Amazing…! Then that means we have four dragon slayers in the guild now…" Wendy

Carla huffed. "So much for being a rare magic…"

"Hoho! I see you in a new light now! Fight me!" Natsu roared and jumped at the girl, only to splash right through her body and into a table along with the people sitting on it.

"Looks like Juvia is Natsu's antithesis." Happy said, laughing when the people Natsu knocked over began to bury him under the pieces of the now destroyed furniture.

Gajeel hummed in thought. "But still… To think you actually found the skeleton of a dragon. And you said it spoke to you?"

Natsu popped his head out of the rubble. "Did the dragon say anything about Igneel!?"

Juvia shook her head. "Tiamat-San didn't mention anything about him, sorry Natsu-San…"

Natsu's head drooped back under the rubble. "It's okay…"

"I guess that means the same for me and the kid then…" Gajeel said before grunting. "Whatever, I'm outta here. If you see Uzumaki, tell him I'm still waiting for our match. It pisses me off that he never takes me seriously!"

The group then disbanded, everyone finding something to do. With the tension between Juvia and Mirajane resolved, and the girl's explanation of her new magic, everything was beginning to go back to normal.

Juvia was about to go searching for Naruto when a certain scent hit her nose. 'This scent… Naruto-Sama!' Ever since they had gotten off the train, Juvia's sense of smell had undergone some serious changes. She was able identify objects by their smell from greater distances, as well as people. Right now, she could smell Naruto's scent growing stronger, indicating his approach.

The water mage's heart skipped a beat when she turned around and saw the doors of the guild open, and Naruto walked inside.

The two instantly locked eyes.

Naruto already felt his cheeks lighting up as the girl waited patiently for him. How did he know she was waiting for him? The girl was standing with her hands together instead of jumping on him like she usually did.

Beginning his advance towards the girl, Naruto noticed the guild members staring at him. 'I guess they already know…' He thought with a sweatdrop as he stopped in front of the blue haired beauty. "H-hey, Juvia. Do you have a second?"

Juvia nodded shyly. "Y-yes, Naruto-Sama…" Her heart was pounding! This was it, the moment she had been waiting for! Naruto's answer to her feelings…

"Um… Do you think we could talk somewhere a little more private?" Naruto asked while scratching his cheek awkwardly.

Juvia tilted her head in confusion, before looking around to see guild members adverting their gazes from her. Some were even whistling innocently. "Yes… Juvia thinks that would be for the best."

Finding a spot to talk privately, Naruto and Juvia sat at an empty table located in one of the corners of the guild.

The two sat in silence for a couple minutes as Naruto finished gathering his thoughts.

Juvia sat completely straight in her chair as she stared at the top of the table. 'Ah~ Juvia is so nervous! What is Naruto-Sama going to say…' Wait a second.

What if Naruto rejected her?

The thought hit Juvia with the force of a train. She had been so busy thinking of their future, the thought of Naruto rejecting her love had never even occurred to her. But realistically speaking, it was actually quite possible.

Juvia began to squirm in her seat.

She wasn't the only girl after his heart. In fact, there was even the possibility that Naruto was already in love with one of them!

Was it Lucy? Mira? Erza? Cana? Sakura? That weird shy girl with the pale eyes?

'Oh my gosh! Is it Wendy-San!?' Juvia scouted the little girl

A dangerous rival indeed.

Noticing the girl's intense expression, Naruto decided he was done stalling. "U-um… Juvia?"

"HAI!" Juvia suddenly shouted, causing the boy to jump in his seat.

Naruto took in a deep breath to calm himself, before he finally spoke. "Thank you."

Juvia blinked in confusion. "What?"

Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Sorry, I mean... I wanted to thank you, for saying what you said. This is the first time anyone's ever said anything like this about me… When you said what you did back then, it made me happy." He said, and Juvia's face lit up.

"R-really?"

Naruto grinned and nodded. In all honesty, it was one of the happiest feelings I've ever felt. When you lived a fife where something as simple as **(something to remind people of Naruto's tragic backstory)** brought you joy, that meant something. "But…"

Juvia's heart nearly stopped. "…But?"

Naruto rubbed his arm. "But I can't return your feelings..."

And just like that, the world around Juvia seemed to collapse into nothingness. It was all over for, she had failed. Naruto rejected her, and there was nothing she could do to change his mind.

Maybe it was for the best. Her feelings would only get in the way of Naruto's search for a way home.

"…Yet" Naruto finished.

Wait… Yet?

Juvia's eyes shot open as she stared at the blonde in hope. "?"

"If I was being honest with myself, I think I might have developed feelings for you too… But I'm kinda bad with this sort of thing, ya know?" Naruto said and Juvia brought a hand to her gaping mouth.

'Naruto-Sama… might love Juvia back!?' This meant she had a chance! A huge one!

Naruto continued. "It's just a really awkward time right now, ya know? I'm stuck here in another dimension and I have to find a way back. I know I'm being selfish, but there's a lot of things I need to take care of before I can even think about having a relationship with someone. I hope you understand…"

Juvia nodded, mentally giggling at Naruto using his verbal tick so many times in one setting. "Mm… Juvia understands."

Naruto blinked. "Really? Are you sure that's okay with you? I feel like I'm being super unfair.

And in most cases, he would be. But luckily for Naruto, Juvia was content with this conclusion. After all, there was a great chance she would end up with her one true love.

"Juvia loves Naruto-Sama. So much that it hurts... and Juvia would do anything to make Naruto-Sama happy! So if that's what Naruto-Sama wants, then Juvia will wait for as long as she needs to." Juvia said and smiled with a warmness that could melt the coldest of ice.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed to hear the girl say those words again. That gone a lot better than he had expected. He had thought Juvia was going to kill him for asking something so selfish. 'I'm sorry, Juvia…I don't deserve your kindness…'

Juvia poked her fingers together nervously. "B-but… Juvia has a small request…"

* * *

Lee burst out of the library and jumped onto the railing of the second floor. "Yosh! Now that the meeting is complete, I'm going to see if Elfman-Kun will go on a job and take me with him! Therefore, I might be able to scout out some information!" He announced to the guild, earning a couple chuckles from the guild members.

"You just want to go on another job, Lee…" Tenten said as she followed her hotblooded companion with an embarrassed look on her face.

"How naïve of you, Tenten! If I go on a job, not only would I be able to scope out some possible information, but I get to help this wonderful guild who has taken such good care of us! It's the least I can do!" Lee said and jumped off the railing when he spotted his giant of a friend. "Elfman-Kun! Let us investigate the darkest corners of the land, and light the way with our flames of youth!"

Elfman roared in agreement. "What manly thing to say, Lee-San! Let's go!"

'He just wants to fight mages…' Tenten thought with a sigh, not that she could blame him though. Taking on odd jobs with your friends was actually really fun. Maybe she'd go find Erza to see if the girl wanted to take on a job herself, but first she'd have to find the missing knight.

"Which job should we do?" Elfman asked, and Lee searched the board with a critical eye.

"GWOHHHHH! I found the perfect job! A band of traveling circus clowns are having trouble with thieves and need protection!" He turned to his manly friend and saw the boy giving him a thumbs up.

"Youthful men!" They both cheered.

Nab, who was choosing a job for himself, sweatdropped at the weird scene playing out before him. 'I'm glad I don't look like that while choosing a job…'

'…Maybe it would be better to keep an eye on those two.' Tenten thought and turned back to the rest of the ninja. "I'll make sure they don't get into trouble."

"Thank you..." Kakashi said appreciatively. Maybe he'd have Neji lead their squad next time, watching over Lee was a handful. At least Tenten could mostly keep the energetic teen mostly under control.

"Are you sure it's okay for them to go out like that? Wouldn't it be better to stay together?" Sakura asked. She still didn't like Naruto going out on jobs by himself, and Lee was no exception. Should also would have prevented Hinata from going with Lucy had she have been searching for Erza at the time. With the Akatsuki's whereabouts still unknown, she thought it was best that everyone stayed close together.

"They'll be fine. Besides, Lee's right. We owe it to this guild for taking care of Naruto for as long as they did, us as well." Yamato before someone shouted up to them.

"Yamato-San! Could I barrow you for a moment? Natsu and Gray got into a fight again…" Mirajane asked politely from bellow them.

"I say that… But these people sure are a rowdy bunch." Yamato said and began to walk towards the stairs. "At the rate these kids keep breaking things, it's a miracle Makarov-Dono's kept this place afloat financially…"

Kakashi pat his old friend on the back. "Work hard, Tenzo."

Yamato looked back and moped. "That's cruel, senpai…"

Noticing the last of their team was being strangely quiet, Sakura turned and saw Hinata standing by the railing. She seemed to watching something, a look of sorrow showing on her face.

Kakashi had noticed this as well, he stretched his arms over his head before walking towards the stair as well. "I'll leave this to you, Sakura. Makarov-Dono wanted to talk to me about helping the guild with something coming up after we were done."

Sakura nodded and walked over to her friend. When the pale eyed girl didn't say anything, Sakura followed the girl's gaze and found Naruto sitting at a table with Juvia. From the way they were acting, it was something serious. 'No wonder Kakashi-Sensei left this to me…'

But before the medic ninja could say anything, Hinata spoke. "It feels like I'm beginning to lose him… Though, I guess I never really had him in the first place."

"Hinata…"

The Hyūga heiress turned to her friend and smiled softly. "I'm going to back to the house… Tell Mira-San I'll take care of dinner tonight."

Sakura watched the girl walk away, a knowing feeling raising in her gut. 'It's just like me with Sasuke-Kun…' She frowned and looked at the boy responsible for this situation. 'Naruto, you idiot… Don't you know what you're putting Hinata through?'

Deciding it wouldn't do her any good to lose her anger, Sakura walked downstairs and sat down at one of the free tables to cool her head.

Looking across the room, Sakura noticed Naruto and Juvia get up from their seats and leave the guild. She sighed, things weren't looking too bright for Hinata's love.

Mirajane walked up to Sakura's table, seemingly oblivious to the girl's increasingly bad mood. "Sakura-san, would you like to eat something?" She asked in her normal polite voice.

"Just some dango would be fine, thanks Mira-san." Sakura replied in a forced calm voice to avoid causing a scene.

Mira, not noticing anything amiss, went back to the kitchen and prepared the small treat for the pink-hair ninja.

While Mira was cooking her snack, all Sakura could think of were the worst-case scenarios for Hinata's love with Naruto. Especially since Naruto was starting to get all chummy with that rude and clingy girl who was pretty much throwing herself at the guy. Why couldn't she be more modest and respectful, like Lucy?

A few minutes later, Mira came back with a plate to a slightly irate Sakura, who gave a halfhearted "thank you". Mira shrugged her shoulders and walked to another table to get their order.

After taking a few bites of the unusually amazing sweets, Sakura decided she was done waiting around and wanted to give that blonde idiot and blue hair girl a piece of her mind. She stormed out the building quickly without paying for her half-eaten food.

Mira heard the guild doors open and turned to see Sakura's empty table. "Oh my, what happened to Sakura-san?" She asked and noticed the area around Sakura's table was vacant.

The guild members capable of sensing an angry girl had shuffled to get out of her way, knowing full well what she could do.

* * *

"Two rainbow snow cones please." Naruto said, and paid for the frosty treats when the man working the stand placed them in front of him. "Thanks."

"Out on a date I see?" The man asked slyly as Naruto picked up his purchases. "And with a beauty like that too. You're quite a lucky guy."

Naruto laughed, his cheeks turning red. "Hehe… Yeah, I am pretty lucky huh?"

Juvia's small request had surprised Naruto for sure. She had asked if they could go on a small date. Nothing too flashy, just a walk in the park.

' **And you said yes… Aren't you contradicting yourself by doing this?'** The Kyuubi's voice echoed as Naruto neared the bench Juvia was sitting on.

'Hey, this is the least I could do for what I did… Besides, we're just taking a walk through the park. What could go wrong?' Naruto thought back, shrugging off the beast's comment.

After making it to the bench and taking a seat, Naruto handed his date one of the snow cones. "Here you go, Juvia-Chan"

That was the other part of the girl's request. Juvia wanted him to refer to her in "Chan" from now on, and who was Naruto to say no? With how selfish he had been with his description, he'd fight a tailed beast with his hands tied behind his back to make up for it. Something like this was nothing in compression!

"Thank you, Naruto-Sama." Juvia said and accepted the cup of ice. It was like a dream come true! Here she was, on a d-d-d-date with Naruto! They had walked through the park, just the two of them, and not a single person had disturbed them! A simple date that revolved around enjoying the other's company.

Juvia scooped some of the rainbow-colored ice with her spoon and took a bite, shuddering slightly from the coldness. "Mmm… Delicious!"

"I've been wondering… How are you going to learn dragon slayer techniques? You're a dragonslayer

Juvia tapped her spoon on her lips in thought. "Hm… It's hard to explain, but when Juvia absorbed the dragon lacrima, a bunch of knowledge seemed to come with it. Juvia knows of some of the Sea King Dragon slayer techniques, but now it's a matter of practicing them!"

Naruto smiled, he was glad Juvia was having fun. All they had been doing was walking around and talking. But if that made Juvia happy, then Naruto was happy.

"Here!"

Naruto blinked when he noticed Juvia holding out her spoon out to him.

"Say, ah~" Juvia cooed, and Naruto blushed furiously.

This wasn't the first time she had fed him, but something about the situation made super embarrassing for some reason.

"O-okay… Ah~" Naruto stuttered and was about to chomp on the ice when his instincts flared.

"NARUTO!"

Reacting instantly, Naruto swooped Juvia into his arms and jumped to safety. Not a second after he moved, the bench they had been sitting on exploded into smithereens.

People began to gather around to see what had happened.

After a couple seconds, the dust fell, revealing a furious looking Sakura standing in the small crater she made. Did she trying to kill him just now!?

"Sakura-Chan!? What are you doing? I don't why you're angry with me, but what if you hit Juvia-Chan!?"

"I must not have noticed her." Sakura simply replied.

Naruto sweatdropped as he put Juvia down on her feet. He knew Sakura and Juvia didn't along very well for some reason, but that was going a little too far in his opinion.

Juvia frowned and looked at the now empty cup in her hands, a cup that was once filled with ice that she was about to handfeed to her beloved. "This was supposed to be Juvia's alone time with Naruto-Sama… and Sakura-San ruined it!"

Charging forward, Juvia brought up one of her hands as water began to collect around it that roughly shaped a set of claws. **"Sea King Dragon's Claw!"**

Sakura smirked, she had been waiting to get back at the girl ever since the last time they had fought. She ducked under the half-finished spell and slid her leg along the ground to trip Juvia, but Sakura's foot harmlessly splashed through the girl's legs. Sucking her teeth in annoyance, the medic jumped back when the water mage swiped at her again to put some distance between them.

"Wha-Hey! Wait a second guys!" Naruto shouted in attempt to stop the two from fighting, but his words fell upon deaf ears as the two stared each other down.

'That water ability is gonna be annoying…' The last time they had fought, Sakura had only gotten in a couple clean hits in due to the nature of Juvia's water magic. It annoyed her to no end when she couldn't hit her opponent.

'So long as Juvia plays this smart, Sakura-San shouldn't be able to hurt her. The victor has already been decided.' Juvia thought and swung her arms out. **"Water Slicer!"**

Sakura rolled out of the way and threw a kunai.

The knife flew right through Juvia's body and into the ground behind her. "Physical attacks are useless against Juvia, remember?" She said, but frowned when she saw her opponent smirking at her. Juvia was about to question the girl when she heard a sizzling noise behind her.

 **BOOM!**

"Kyah!" Juvia screamed mostly out of surprise when the paper tag exploded, her magic negating most of the damage. But when the smoke cleared her eyes widened when Sakura was nowhere to be found. She spun around and the pink haired girl was behind her, fist cocked back. Instincts that Juvia didn't even know she had took over, and she put her arms up coated in water to defend against the incoming attack. The punch made contact with the water, and Juvia slid back a couple feet.

'It actually made contact…' Sakura thought, surprised her attack landed. She had coated her hand with chakra. Perhaps that was how she had landed those hits in their last fight?

Still staggered from the force of the blow, Juvia was too late to react when Sakura was at her again.

"Shannaro!" Sakura yelled and cocked her chakra infused fist back. With the girl's weakness finally discovered, there was no way Juvia would be able to get out of this last punch unscathed.

 **CRASH!**

The concrete shattered as a crater that put the previous one to shame when Sakura's fist made contact with flesh.

Sakura smirked. 'That should be the end… of… it…' Her thoughts trailed off when the dust cleared, and her eyes made contact with an angry pair of crimson red eyes. Naruto was standing in front of her, holding her fist in his hand as he gave her a look that said "this fight was over".

"I said… That's enough." Naruto said calmly, his feature returning to normal as he exited sage mode.

Juvia opened her eyes and saw Naruto standing in front of her protectively. He had come to her rescue... "Naruto-Sa-" Her words stopped in her throat when Naruto looked back and frowned, he almost looked sad.

Naruto shook his head and sighed. "Why are you guys fighting in the first place? If you had something to say to us, you should have just said so Sakura-Chan…" He said, grimacing at the property damage he KNEW he was going to have to pay for.

Luckily the townsfolk had long since evacuated the area so no one was caught up in the explosions.

Shaking away her surprise state, Sakura glared at blonde. "Oh, I have something to say to you. What are you doing right now!? Are you even taking your situation seriously!?"

"What are you talking about? We were just-" Naruto started but was interrupted.

"Here we are, working our butts off to find you a way home, and you're what? Enjoying a date with HER!?" Sakura all but screamed at her teammate while pointing at the blue haired girl behind him accusingly.

Naruto flinched at his friend's harsh tone, but he held his ground. Sakura had a right to be mad at him, but she didn't need to take her anger out on Juvia. "Right now, I was trying to make it up to Juvia-"

"Juvia conveyed her love for Naruto-Sama and stole a kiss from him! Sakura-San is just getting in our way, so please leave!" Juvia blurted out, and Naruto gained a mortified look.

'Juvia, no!' Naruto fruitlessly screamed in his mind, but it was too late, and he could feel the malicious intent oozing from Sakura's form.

Sakura lowered her head. "You seem to be enjoying yourself here… Naruto."

"You know what Sakura? On my third day here, I tried to summon the toads so they could reverse summon me home." Naruto said, dropping the 'Chan' suffix to show that he was serious. Sakura had a right to be angry at him, but she didn't need to take it out on him like this. "It's not like I'm lazing around here, I'm doing what I can… But things got complicated and-"

"Save it! It looks like I'm only getting in your way, so I'll excuse myself…" Sakura said and turned around. "You didn't even tell us you were back… Are we just second rate to you now? What's more important to you, these people you met a couple months ago, or your friends back home?" She didn't give Naruto the chance to answer and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Juvia stared at the blonde's back, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sorry, Juvia… But could we finish this date another time?" Naruto asked without turning to face her.

"Hai, Naruto-Sama…" Juvia said solemnly, disappointed that they couldn't continue their date. But she understood, and could only imagine what Naruto was going through right now. He had just fought with one of his friends, and it was all her fault.

' **Well that could have gone bett-Gak!"** The fox didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence when his jailer tightened the seal, cutting their connection off. The shinobi just wasn't in the mood for the demon's snide comments…

Naruto looked up at the sunset, it would be night soon. "I'll walk you home."

* * *

By the time Naruto walked into the apartment, it was well into the night. There was a single light still on and he could see Lucy had already fallen asleep.

He was exhausted.

With his battle with the four-tailed demon, Juvia's confession, and his fight with Sakura, it had all taken its toll on Naruto's physical and emotional levels.

Not bothering to change into his pajamas, Naruto sprawled out on his couch and turned off the light.

'I really gotta step it up a notch…' Naruto thought before his mind fell into sweet, blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

 **A/N: There you have it! Juvia's feelings, Naruto's response, as well as some of the reactions! Note how I say some… *Wink***

 **This was quite a depressing chapter to be honest… Hopefully everything will turn for the better in the next chapter for our blonde hero!**

 **This is probably going to bring some people to hate on Sakura, but I want you all to think where she's coming from. In Sakura's eyes, all she's been seeing from Naruto was him goofing off. The first time she saw him since his disappearance was him participating in a race(and kissing Lucy XD). So when she happened to see him acting all 'lovey dovey' with a girl that she not only dislikes, but is also not the girl she is supporting in her love(Hinata), so it's only natural she'd blow a fuse.**

 **Anyways, I can't make you guys like Sakura, but I hope this can ease the hatred for the girl. Even if it's just a little… :)**

 **In case anyone is wondering why I haven't done a full fight between Juvia and Sakura, it's actually because I don't know how Sakura would be able to beat her... I just don't understand the limits to Juvia's water body to be able to write a full fight scene between the two. If anyone could explain this to me, I'd really appreciate it. :)**

 **As always, review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns! Seriously, I'll take anything!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	37. The Announcement

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

"…"

"…"

Naruto was currently dreaming and standing in front of Mavis Vermillion, the founder and first master of Fairy Tail. Not a word was being spoken.

Because she was pouting at him.

"…Um... Hi?" Naruto said awkwardly. Was she mad at him? No, she was obviously mad at him... But he couldn't think of anything he did that could make the spirit angry-

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. 'Crap! It's been weeks since the last time we spoke!"

As if hearing his thoughts, Mavis' pouting intensified. "Mumumumu… I've been waiting for you to come here for weeks! Why haven't you come!?"

Naruto backed up unconsciously while laughed nervously. "W-well… One thing led to another, and I… kinda forgot…" He mumbled.

"Fo… *Sniff!* Forgot?" Mavis sniffled, seemingly on the verge of crying.

Not being one to handle people crying, Naruto began to flail his arms around. "W-w-wait! Don't cry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" When the girl seemed to calm down a little, Naruto sighed in relief. "I'm sorry for taking so long to meet with you, I just got get getting caught up with things at the guild… But why didn't you just contact me again like this?"

"I'm not crying!" Mavis heatedly denied, wiping her face of all evidence. "And I couldn't contact you because that sneaky fox kept blocking me! It was so frustrating!"

While the little girl continued to rant about the Kyuubi, Naruto pondered in thought. 'It was the fox's fault? Maybe he couldn't block her this time since I tightened the seal…'

After settling down Mavis shook her head, a wistful look growing on her face. "He always did like to help others first…"

"Huh?"

"Naruto!"

Naruto instantly sat in the seiza style position. "H-hai!?"

Seeing how she had the boy's undivided attention, Mavis spoke with authority. "I'll look past you forgetting our meeting this time. In exchange…" Her eyes then shined brightly. "Would you tell me some stories of your adventures in the Elemental Nations?"

Naruto face faulted. He'd half-expected the spirit to make him go on a life changing dream journey or something along those lines… But a story?

"You want me to tell you… a story?"

Mavis nodded eagerly. "Yes! Preferably when you fought that guy with the piercings!"

'Guy with the piercings… Is she talking about Pain? How does she-wait… it's probably a ghost thing…' Naruto thought dismissively, then slightly shuddering at the thought that he was actually speaking with a dead person. "Sure, I guess… But there wasn't too much after that before I came here."

Mavis began to jump around in joy, and Naruto couldn't help but smile as well. There was something strangely magical about the happy little girl in front of him.

No pun intended...

* * *

 **The Next Morning…**

Naruto could barely keep his eyes open. Mavis had kept him up all night with him talking about his past, and despite his body being "asleep", his mind had been awake until dawn. Needless to say, Naruto was mentally exhausted.

'I still have find Sakura-Chan later and make up with her…' Naruto thought, though the girl would more than likely punch him on sight. But he would gladly take the all too familiar blow, if it meant making up with his longtime friend.

Naruto turned to his left to look at Lucy, who was being strangely quiet this morning. Ever since they had left the apartment for the guild, the girl seemed to be in deep thought and hadn't said a single word.

"You okay, Lucy?" He simply asked.

It took a second, but Lucy snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh… No, not really. I've just had a lot on my mind recently…"

"You two, huh? Well, I don't know if I can help but…" Naruto trailed off awkwardly. He really was bad with these sorts of situations. "But if there's anything I can do, just ask!"

'You're the problem…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop, but she couldn't help but smile. This was what she liked about Naruto the most. She was fully aware of what was on Naruto's mind, and he was still more than willing to help her out. Naruto had a bad habit of putting other before him, so Lucy had to make sure he didn't break himself down.

"Hey, um… Thanks for yesterday. You really saved me, ya know?" Naruto suddenly said.

"Of course. We're partners, aren't we?" Lucy said before hopping up onto the stone railing next to the river, earning some playful shouts from some men on a boat. "So? Did you respond to her feelings properly?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I asked if she could wait. I mean… Now isn't exactly a good time for me to be getting into that kind of relationship right now. I'm already bad enough with these kinds of situations as it is…"

Lucy's face remained neutral as she stared at the road ahead of them. "Is that so…"

"Well, yeah. I gotta find a way home no matter what. Back there I have my friends waiting for me… My promises, my dream." Naruto said with a longing face.

"Listen Naruto, it's rude to keep a girl waiting after they confess to like that." Lucy scolded and Naruto flinched at the girl's harsh tone. "But I understand where you're coming from."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"It's like you said. You have all these things you have to do in your world, so finding a way back is your top priority and I'm sure Juvia understands that." Lucy stopped walking. "You'll come back... right?"

Naruto stopped and turned around. Lucy was looking at him with a stern look on her face, showing that she was asking him seriously. For that, he smiled. She was genuinely worried if he would come back, and it made him happy. "Of course I will! I promised to make sure you could keep having fun with everyone and not have to worry about a thing! and-"

"-I keep my promises, ya know?'" Lucy finished his sentence with a smile, adding the ninja's verbal tick to tease him. Because she was also happy. Happy that Naruto remembered the promise he made to her back when they were fighting with Phantom Lord. But he was Naruto, so of course he remembered. 'He always does…'

Naruto cleared his throat and put his hands behind his head, embarrassed that Lucy had used his infamous verbal tick. "Though I may not have a lot of time when I become Hokage… I'll be sure to visit you guys from time to time."

"Oh, of course Hokage-Sama. Make sure to not forget about us mages." Lucy said playfully and struck the nice man's pose. "To be Hokage is my dream, ya know? I'm going to make you happy Lucy, believe it!"

"H-hey now…" Naruto said and smiled bitterly. But now that he thought about it, he did sound kinda childish when he said those things. So he ended up laughing with the girl in the end.

Lucy stepped down and back to Naruto's side. "You better keep your promise…"

Naruto nodded. "I will."

As they began to walk again, Naruto looked at Lucy when an outrageous thought came to his mind. 'Does Lucy… No, that can't be true.' He thought and dismissed the thought with a shake of his head. Juvia aside, the thought of Lucy liking him that way was out of the question… right?

"Hm?" Lucy hummed at her partner's strange behavior, and Naruto blushed.

"N-it's nothing, ya know!" Naruto stammered, before he suddenly took off running. "Race you to the guild, Lucy!"

"H-hey! Watch out Naruto!"

 **Crash!**

Having taken off so suddenly, Naruto failed to notice a man walking ahead of them and accidently knocked him down. "W-woah! My bad! I wasn't paying attention!" Naruto wailed and helped the guy up.

"Ow-ow-ow… No, it's okay. I wasn't really paying attention either." The guy said and when he was standing, Naruto and Lucy were able to get a full view of him. He was a lean built man with brown hear that was almost completely shaved. He looked to be maybe a few years older than them, but the scars on the left side of his face made him seem a little older.

Naruto blinked and tilted his head in confusion. 'I feel like I know this guy… Ah!' Bopping a fist in his hand, Naruto grinned. "Hey Mest! How have you been?"

Mest dusted himself off and grinned. "I was actually just on my way to the train station. I'm running an errand for the master."

"I didn't know you knew Mest." Lucy said as they waved goodbye to their fellow member.

"Yeah, though I can't really remember when… Maybe sometime in the guild?" Naruto said before shrugging.

Lucy hummed in thought before the two continued their walk towards the guild.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail…**

Naruto poked his head into the guild and looked around suspiciously. When he supposedly found what he was looking for, he sighed in relief and stepped in.

Lucy watched on with an amused grin. "Are you scared of seeing Juvia now?"

Naruto stiffened at the mentioning of the water mage. "N-no… I just haven't figured out what to say to her yet, after what happened yesterday."

Lucy giggled and walked into the guild. Part of her was annoyed that Naruto was acting this way because of another girl, but she couldn't help but find it adorable that he was being so nervous. It was a whole new side of Naruto she was witnessing, and Lucy found herself envious of Juvia. "W-woah… That's a lot of people…"

When Lucy entered the guild and looked around, she found the entire bar was filled with people. It was like every member was gathered today.

A hand placed itself on the shinobi's shoulder, and they found Kakashi standing next to Naruto with what looked to be grin on his face. Though it was hard to tell with his mouth being covered up.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted.

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto said before he nearly punched himself in the face. That's right, he hadn't told any of them he was back yet. "Um… Sorry I didn't tell you guys I was back yesterday." Naruto didn't bother trying to come up with an excuse either, because he didn't have one.

Kakashi did his trademark eye smile. "No worries. You seem to have a lot on your plate right now. Good morning, Lucy-San."

"Good morning." Lucy said with a wave. She was never really sure how to act around this man. He was Naruto's teacher, but it was sometimes difficult to take him seriously when most of his face was covered by a veil and headband. Not to mention his lazy demeaner.

Stricken with guilt, Naruto shook his head. "Even so, I should have remembered. You guys came all the way out here to help me and I feel like I've been ignoring you all…"

The jōnin chuckled. "Well if you're that bothered by it, go say hi to the others. Aside from Lee and Tenten who went on a job with Elfman, Yamato is in the library, Hinata is at the bar talking with Mirajane-San, and Sakura is… I actually don't know where she is." Kakashi said, tapping his chin in thought.

"That's okay… I'll go apologize to Sakura-Chan later." Naruto said and when his teacher raised an eyebrow, he stifled a laugh. "I kinda pissed her off yesterday."

"Ah. Well don't go on any jobs today, there's going to be an announcement as soon as everyone is here."

"Announcement? Is that why there's so many people here today?"

"You'll see." Kakashi eye smiled again before walking off.

Naruto crossed his arms. What announcement was that cryptic sensei of his talking about? Deciding he'd found out when it happened, Naruto turned to Lucy. "I guess I'm gonna go say hi to everyone then."

Lucy nodded and the two walked over to the bar. "I wonder what that announcement is going to be about."

"Yeah, Kakashi-Sensei looked pretty excited about it. I wonder if something happened." Naruto said as they walked up to Hinata and Mirajane.

Upon noticing the duo, Hinata stood up from her stool and bowed politely. "Um… g-good morning Naruto-Kun, and Lucy-San."

"Hey Hinata, and Mirajane! Sorry I didn't say anything when I came back yesterday…" Naruto said and scratched his cheek sheepishly while Lucy waved to the two girls.

Hinata's eyes widened a little before she shook her head. "N-no! Don't worry about it! You looked like you were busy… so…"

Seeing the gloomy look on Hinata's face, Mirajane clasped her hands together. "Oh, yes! I forgot to ask you yesterday Naruto-Kun, but how did the job go? I heard you found the skeleton of a dragon! That's amazing!" Mirajane said cheerfully.

Naruto grinned. "Juvia also became a dragon slayer, so now Fairy Tail has four of them!"

While Naruto and Mirajane talked about the events of the job, Lucy looked at Hinata. 'I think it's safe to assume she knows about what happened between Naruto and Juvia…' Hinata usually had a gloomy atmosphere to her due to how shy she was, but the girl seemed to be exceptionally gloomy today.

"Haha, oh! I almost forgot!" Naruto said and pulled out a scroll from his back pouch, and a familiar red cloth appeared with a "poof!". "I was gonna ask if one of you could patch this up for me. I kinda messed it up during the mission…"

"Sure, I don't mind-"

"A-ah, let me-"

Both Mirajane and Hinata put a hand on the tattered cloak at the same time, and they both looked at each other in mild surprise.

'Oh boy…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop.

"Oh my, allow me Hinata-San. I can take care of it after work today." Mirajane said and made a move to pull the cloth out of the Hyuga's hands, but everyone was surprised when Hinata didn't let go.

"N-no… Please, allow m-me Mira-San." Hinata stuttered, a weld of confidence growing inside her. "You're so busy with work right now and I'm sure Naruto-Kun would want his cloak back as soon as possible."

"I don't need it that soon…" Naruto said in an attempt to keep the peace, but his words drowned in their debate.

"But you're our guest, I can't possibly allow a guest of Fairy Tail to worry about such a minor task."

"That's okay, I patched Naruto-Kun's cloak last time and I don't mind doing so again."

"Then… Shall we let Naruto-Kun decide?" Mirajane suddenly said and the two turned to Naruto, causing the boy to flinch.

"U-um…" Naruto said as the girl's stared at him expectantly, but he didn't get the chance to answer when someone snatched the cloak out of their hands.

"Sheesh, give it here. I'll fix it." Cana said with a rather impatient tone.

"Cana?" They all said at the same time, surprised that the drinker would take up the task.

"I got tired of you two fighting over something so stupid, so I'll just fix this thing myself." Cana said with a sigh when she noticed the looks she was getting. "What? Is it that much of a surprise that I can stitch clothes?"

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Well, kinda…"

Growing annoyed from their looks of disbelief, Cana scoffed and swung the cloth over her shoulder. "Well sorry for not acting as feminine as the other girls! I'll patch it up after the announcement. See ya."

"Thanks, Cana…" Naruto said with an awkward wave, that really surprised him. Who knew Cana knew how sow clothing? "Well, I'm going to go see Yamato-Taicho. Kakashi-Sensei said he's up in the library, right Hinata?"

At the mentioning of her name, Hinata recovered from her slight state of shock and turned to her crush. "Ah, yes! I-I'll take you to him!"

When the two left, Mirajane moved like she was about to follow them, but she was stopped by Lucy.

"Actually Mira-San, can we talk for a second?" Lucy asked.

Mira blinked, wondering what the blonde would want to talk about before smiling. "Sure, what is it?"

* * *

"AHHHH! Yamato-Taicho's a zombie!" Naruto screamed while pointing a finger at the man in front of him.

Yamato looked as though he would collapse any second. His face was drained of all life, giving him an undead look that unnerved Naruto to no end.

"…Those kids… Will be the end of me…" Yamato mumbled in a voice that was even lower than a whisper, and the two teenagers had to strain their ears to hear him.

When Naruto Hinata walked into the miniature library, they had found the man sitting at the table facing away from them. But when he didn't respond their callings, they had walked over to him and discovered the state the Anbu warrior was in.

"…They destroy… so much… I have to… fix it all…"

'Poor Yamato-Taicho…' Hinata thought as Naruto began to panic. She had already known the state their superior was in, but he seemed to have gotten worse since the last time she saw him. He was suffering from chakra deficiency, but how much furniture has the man fixed since coming here to put him in such a state?

"I'll go find Wendy-Chan or Sakura-Chan right now and-" Naruto said and was about to run off when Yamato grabbed his arm.

"That won't be necessary, Naruto. I'm fine… just a little tired." Yamato said with a tired sigh. "I swear… These mages destroy more furniture than what could fit in a feudal lord's mansion."

"Why don't you tell them to settle down? You know, with your scary face?" Naruto asked and scrunched his face in an attempt to copy his captain's trademark, and Hinata had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing.

Yamato shook his head. "You can't just be rude to people in their own home like that Naruto. Besides, this is the least I can do for them watching over you this whole time."

Naruto scoffed. "These guys? Come on, I'll tell them to settle down so you don't have to fix any more chairs."

Yamato was about to say Naruto didn't have to do anything, but the blonde was already out of the room and leaning over the railing.

"Hey guys! Yamato-Taicho is tired of fixing all the stuff you destroy! So think twice before you decide to start something, got it?" Naruto shouted out for all of the members present to hear, and some of them began to laugh and apologize.

"You didn't have to do that…" Yamato mumbled but he was relieved to hear them react this way and hoped this would stop the mages from needlessly destroying things.

"Uzumaki!"

Naruto looked down to see Gajeel glaring up at him. Boy, did he look angry.

"Hey Gajeel, what's up?" Naruto said and moved his when a bar stool aimed at his head. The chair hit the wall behind him and shattered into splinters.

"Don't give me that shit! Get your ass down here, you owe me a figh-" Gajeel clamped his mouth shut when he felt an ominous presence behind him. He cranked his head around slowly to find Yamato standing over him. 'When did he-!?'

"Didn't Naruto just tell you to stop breaking things?" Yamato said in a neutral voice. It was so neutral in fact, it caused a few of the mages standing around them to take a step back. But that wasn't what Gajeel was frightened of. It was because the lighting on Yamato's face changed and his eyes had become ghoul-like, giving him a ghastly appearance.

Gajeel gulped, beads of sweat were visibly dripping down his face. "A-ah… My bad…"

As if coming out of a trance, Yamato blinked and his expression returned to normal. He coughed into his hand. "Well, so long as you understand…" He hadn't meant to use his 'terror face', but something seemed to have snapped in him when the dragon slayer threw the stool. He really was tired…

Gajeel let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Are these damn ninja monsters!?' He thought and looked at all the ninja currently present in the room. He then turned back to Naruto, pointing at him with a still shaking finger. "A-anyway, you still owe me a fight Uzumaki! Meet me at your training field after this announcement thing or whatever!"

With that said Gajeel scurried off, making sure to avoid Yamato's eyes as he did so.

Naruto sweatdropped. 'I can't help but feel sorry for the guy…'

"Master!"

"Make the announcement already!"

The crowd was beginning to get restless, it seemed they already knew what the master was planning on revealing and couldn't contain their excitement any longer.

Makarov, who was standing on the stage with Erza and Gildarts, raised a hand to calm them down. "As soon as all the members return, we will begin the announcement."

When some of the mages began to complain, the doors to the entrance burst open and three people walked in. Rock Lee and Elfman merrily walked into the guild, each with an arm slung around the other's shoulder. They appeared to be singing.

"We're back…" Tenten mumbled tiredly, but she knew her voice went unheard due to the boisterous duo and didn't care. The job they had gone on was a simple task, to find and subdue some bandits who were attacking a band of traveling clowns. They had found the bandits and subdued them no problem, that wasn't why Tenten was so tired. The reason behind her exhaustion was…

"We saved the day cause we are youthful men~!" Lee and Elfman cheered, and the guild cringed at their voices.

During the job, the two boys had befriended some of the clowns, which evidently lead to them picking up on some of their singing. Yes, the clowns had a singing act.

The problem was, Lee and Elfman did NOT have very good singing voices, and when the two sang together… Well, the guild was experiencing what Tenten had been listening to for the last three hours on the train.

As the two continued to 'torment' the unsettled guildmembers with their song, Tenten noticed Gajeel sitting at a table nearby. He seemed to be in a foul mood, what with his loud munching and some iron nuts and bolts.

"What's up with you?" Tenten asked, half-expecting the guy to ignore her. Despite having worked together for a couple days in Edolas, they hadn't spoken a word to each other upon their return. Tenten assumed it was just his personality and hadn't really thought much of it. 'Though he could have at least said hi or something…'

To her surprise, Gajeel glanced over at her. His eyes narrowed down on her for a couple seconds, as if he were sizing her up, before he closed his eyes and shook his head dismissively.

'S-somehow I feel like I've just been heavily looked down upon…' Tenten thought while smiling bitterly. She was about to walk away when Gajeel spoke.

"Your group is a band of monsters… Well, most of you anyway."

"Huh?"

Gajeel smirked. "But that only makes me wanna become a monster too, and surpass the lot of ya! Gihihi!"

Tenten was slightly confused, but she could only assume he was talking about Naruto and Lee. And judging by his trademark laugh, which she had become familiar with from their shared time in the other dimension, she could tell he was excited. 'Boys will be boys, I guess…' She thought with a shake of her head.

"It's impressive you can actually survive being around those two for so long… Keh! I'd go crazy if I was with them for more than ten minutes!" Gajeel said with a minor look of annoyance.

"You mean Lee and Elfman? They're not so bad, maybe a bit on the eccentric side…" Tenten said and they watched the boys in question dancing on a table. At some point in their conversation, Natsu and Happy had joined in their little cheer. "But I can see what you mean…"

"Yeah."

Makarov looked around the guild, and upon seeing all the members he was looking for, he stepped forward and raised his hand once again. "Alright, it seems everyone's here! In accordance to Fairy Tail's oldest traditions, I will now be announcing the S-Class mage advancement examinees!" He said and the guild shook with excitement as the crowd roared.

"S-Class mage… That's like Erza and Mira-Chan!" Naruto said and grinned. This sounded like a lot of fun to the blonde. 'Ah, but I gotta go to Tenrou Island to meet with Mavis…'

"This year's testing ground will be on Fairy Tail's holy ground… Tenrou Island!"

Naruto nearly fell off the railing.

Well… that was strangely convenient.

"Your power… hearts… spirits… I've been observing them all this past year. This year's participants are… Natsu Dragneel. Gray Fullbuster. Juvia Lockser. Elfman Strauss. Cana Alberona. Freed Justine. Levy McGarden. And lastly…" Makarov took a deep breath. "Naruto Uzumaki."

With the final contestant revealed, the guild cheered.

"So that's how the old man was gonna get me to Tenrou Island…" Naruto was grinning ear to ear. He was excited because he was not only going to participate in one of Fairy Tail's important traditions, but he was finally going to meet Mavis face in person! Or was it… in ghost?

"That's right." Kakashi said while walking up to the whiskered teen. "Makarov-Dono and I have been talking, and we arranged for you to take part in this test as a means for you to meet with this Mavis…" Kakashi leaned closer and whispered. "I even pulled some strings with Tsunade-Sama to make this count as your chunin exams."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Seriously!?"

The grayed haired man nodded. "Yup. I'll be watching over you during the test, so try your best Naruto."

'S-Class mage trials, huh…?' Lucy thought with wide eyes.

"J-Juvia is…?"

Lucy turned to her left and nearly jumped out of her skin when she found Juvia standing right next to her. "Juvia!? When did you get here!?"

Juvia looked at Lucy with a troubled look, but then clasped her cheeks and squirmed around. "Juvia was too shy to face Naruto-Sama so she snuck in…"

Lucy gulped. Juvia? Shy? This truly was a crazy day.

Gajeel was completely shocked. "Why wasn't I…"

'Serves you right for looking down on me!' Tenten thought with a snicker, and looked away innocently when Gajeel glared at her.

"S-Class mage trials… That's amazing, isn't it Charla?" Wendy said and looked at her feline friend to find her staring off into space with frightened look. "Charla?"

"N-no… It's nothing." Carla said and shook her head. 'What was that? For a second there I thought I saw…' In that instant, a series of images flashed before Carla's eyes.

Someone on their knees pleading to Naruto and Natsu…

A hand lying motionless in the grass…

An angry Naruto shrouded in what looked to be a golden cloak…

'W-what does all of this mean? Who was that person?' Charla thought and looked at Naruto, who hopped down from the second floor. She looked up at Wendy and saw the girl watching the blonde's actions with a certain gleam in her eyes. 'That guy is a magnet for trouble… I must keep Wendy away from him!'

* * *

"I'm definitely gonna become an S-Class mage this year!" Natsu shouted and began to punch the air around him.

"Don't worry Natsu, I'll be sure to make you an S-Class mage for sure!" Happy declared and the two cheered.

After the rules of the S-Class mage trials had been announced, and that the test would take place in one week, everyone was discussing their thoughts.

"I figured you two would be partners." Lucy said with an amused smile.

"Ah! Now's not the time to be talking! We gotta go train! C'mon Happy!" Natsu shouted and took off, with Happy flying behind him.

"Aye Sir!"

Lisanna watched the boy and the cat leave with a fond smile. "To think Natsu's in the S-Class trials already…"

"Oh yeah, you and Natsu were really close awhile back weren't you." Naruto said and the girl blushed and looked away bashfully.

"What are you saying, Naruto-San? We're still close!" Lisanna said while clasping her cheeks.

"I-is that so…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop, he then blinked in realization. "Wait, are you and Natsu…?" He trailed off while scratching his cheek awkwardly.

Lisanna blinked, before her blush returned and she clasped her cheeks in embarrassment. "Y-you don't have to say it out loud, sheesh…"

"So, he's finally learning… Took him long enough." Gray said with a smirk, earning a growl from the shinobi.

"Hey, I resent that!"

Lucy laughed at her partner's antics. 'So, even Naruto noticed? Although, Natsu and Lisanna have been hanging out with each other a lot since she returned.' Lucy decided to tease Lisanna. "You know, you and Natsu almost look like a family when you're walking around with Happy."

Lee gave Lisanna a thumbs up. "A perfect example of what a youthful couple should be!"

"They were the ones who found Happy's egg all those years ago after all."

Lisanna hid her face in her hands to cover up her embarrassment. "Well what about Naruto-San and Juvia? I saw them walking together through the park yesterday! Pretty suspicious to me…" She said to get the heat off her, and it worked as all the attention was now on Naruto and Juvia.

"WHHAATTT?" Lee shouted in disbelief, looking back and forth between the two. "I thought that surely Naruto-Kun and Lucy-San were a couple! But then again, the articles from the Weekly Sorcerer's magazine-Ooomf!"

"Oh, Lee-San! You must be hungry after your trip! Here, have some bread!" Lucy said and stuffed an entire loaf of bread into the green clad ninja's mouth.

Everyone watching this sweatdropped, aside from Naruto who was trying to stop Lucy from suffocating his friend. It seemed Lucy was still trying to hide the contents of the magazine from Naruto.

"So what is the deal with you two? Ever since you came back from your last job, you've both been acting strange around each other…" Lisanna said while glancing at Naruto suspiciously. Lisanna had decided she wanted to support her sister's love, but she hadn't been doing a very good job at it because she had been so distracted with Natsu and Happy…

Lucy sat down and joined the group in their staring at Naruto. She was curious to see what he would say to everyone. Even though she had agreed with Naruto's decision, the others might not be so lenient on him. After all, Naruto was being extremely selfish in making Juvia wait.

They were all looking at Naruto, expecting him to fill them in on the situation. But surprisingly enough, Juvia was the first to speak.

"There's nothing going on between Juvia and Naruto-Sama… Yet." Juvia said in a very proper fashion, and it was the truth. In Juvia's eyes, she pretty much had a claim on Naruto for when he was ready to for a relationship. So she was willing to openly deny them being in a relationship, for now that is.

"Oh~? Then why aren't you clinging onto him like you usually do?" Lisanna asked while looking at Juvia with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Juvia opened her mouth as if to say something before closing it. She then stood up from her seat and walked to the other side of the table where Naruto was and sat next to him, grabbing a hold of his arm like she always did in the process.

This of course caused Naruto's face to beam a bright red. "U-um… Juvia-Chan?" He asked and gulped when the girl looked up at him innocently. 'God, why does she look so cute all of a sudden!?'

When Juvia realized how close she was to Naruto's face, the memory of their shared kiss flash in her mind, causing her own blush to rise. "Uwawawawa!" She sputtered before letting go of his arm, and the two looked away from each other in embarrassment.

"Did he just say 'Chan?'"

"What a beast…"

"Ooooh! I am jealous of your youthful sparks of affection Naruto-Kun!" Rock Lee said while shedding manly tears, and everyone minus Elfman sent him odd looks.

As the suspicious stares returned to the duo, Lucy smiled bitterly. 'I was not expecting Juvia to cover for him like that, but I guess that's how Juvia is… Oh well, at least she's keeping her distance now.' Lucy thought and began to think of counter measures. Because she was seriously starting to fall behind her rivals. 'Great… I really am starting to sound like Juvia…'

"S-so anyways, who's your partner going to be Gray?" Naruto asked in an attempt to change the subject, and he was relieved when the ice mage pointed behind him with a thumb.

The person he was pointing to was none other than Lucy's trump card, Leo the Lion.

"It's been awhile guys." Loki greeted before turning to a surprised Lucy. "Sorry Lucy, but I'm gonna disband our contract for the duration of this exam. I promised Gray Last year that I'd be his partner if he made it to the trials. Ah, but don't worry! I'm here on my own accord, so I'm using my own magic to stay here."

Lucy nodded, but she was still surprised the spirit was here. "You sure are a self-serving spirit…"

"So who is Naruto-San going to have for a partner?" Wendy asked. "I would guess either Lucy-San or Juvia-San, but since Juvia-San is participating…"

Naruto shook his head. "Actually, I was gonna ask if you wanted to be my partner Wendy-Chan."

"…Eh? EH?" Wendy said in disbelief. She was sure Naruto would ask Lucy, so why was he asking her? Wendy glanced at the others and they seemed to be equally surprised, and it was to be expected. Naruto, Lucy, and Juvia were always going on jobs together, and since Juvia was already a participant, the obvious choice was Lucy. Or at least she should have been…

"Wait just a darn minute! Wendy isn't ready for this sort of thing!" Carla started, but Wendy picked the cat up to stop her.

"Wait Carla! Um, I'm happy you're asking me Naruto-San… But why me? I thought you would ask Lucy-San?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I was going to ask Lucy, but then I thought her and Juvia would team up since they're such good friends. Right?" Naruto said and looked at the two girls in question with a knowing grin.

Lucy and Juvia shared a look. Friends or not, they were rivals. They didn't really want to be on the same team. But to save face, they both strained a smile. "O-of course!"

Naruto's grin grew and he turned back to Wendy. "See?"

Carla was about to retort, but Wendy put a hand over her mouth. "Pmff! Ooomf!"

"I-I see… But are you sure I'm the best choice? I mean… I'm not that strong…"

"Hey, hey. Don't cut yourself short Wendy-Chan. I know you don't really like to fight, but you can do some really awesome stuff with your support magic! Plus, your sky dragon magic compliments my wind style chakra! So we make an ideal team!" Naruto said and did the nice guy's pose.

Wendy's eyes widened. Naruto believed in her, more than she believed in herself even. She was so surprised by the blonde's words, her grip loosened enough for Carla to slip free.

"Now listen here you beast! Wendy is not ready for this kind of thi-"

"No, you listen here cat!" Naruto snapped, cutting Carla off. "You're always criticizing everyone for putting Wendy-Chan in danger. But you know what I think? I think you're the only one who DOESN'T believe in Wendy-Chan's strength! I believe in my comrades to have my back as I have theirs. You treat Wendy-Chan like a helpless child instead of a wizard of Fairy Tail. Think about that."

Wendy felt a small amount of moisture welling up in the corners of her eyes. Naruto's words sparked a courage inside of her that she didn't even know she had. "I'm sorry Carla, but I'm going! Naruto-San, I would gladly be your partner. I'll do everything in my power to make you an S-Class mage!" Wendy felt bad for her friend, but she was tired of Carla always treating her like a child!

Feeling a mixture of betrayal and defeat, Carla growled and summoned her wings before flying off. If Wendy wanted to go with that beast, fine by her!

* * *

Naruto and Lucy were on their way back to their apartment for the evening when it had begun to snow.

"Wow, it's snowing!" Lucy said and put out her hand to catch a few snowflakes.

Naruto looked up at the cloudy and frowned. He never got to apologize to Sakura. But he wasn't going to let that beat him up too bad. He'd find a way to make up with the girl.

Seeing the sad look on her partner's face, Lucy let out a long and exaggerated sigh. "This test is going to be super hard! We might have to fight Erza, or even Mira-San!"

"I hope I get to fight the old geezer. I still owe him one for knocking me into the roof!" Naruto said and pounded his palm in excitement.

"You actually want to fight Fairy Tail's ace?" Lucy asked, shuttering at the thought of facing any of the S-Class mages.

Naruto shrugged. "You know what they say: "Go big or go home"."

Lucy sweatdropped at her friend's logic. They were complete opposites in this way. Lucy wanted to avoid fighting strong opponents at all costs while Naruto looked forward to them with a grin. 'Though I guess that's how most of the guys are in Fairy Tail…'

"I wanna start training for the test as soon as possible, but there's something I gotta do first."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to do?"

"I wanted to talk with Killer Bee-Ossan again before I left for Tenrou Island. You know, about this guy?" Naruto said and pat his stomach. He had already let Wendy know that he'd be gone for a couple days, and the little girl had told him she would train by herself until he returned.

Naruto had promised to help Wendy train for the trials, but after his quick trip to Lamia Scale.

"Oh, that's right! I almost forgot about!" Lucy said with wide eyes. The demon fox, the island, and the girl who claimed to be Fairy Tail's founder and first master from Naruto's strange dreams!

'So then that means Naruto will be fighting the demon within him soon…' Lucy frowned at the idea of Naruto doing something so dangerous. But he had explained that it was something that he had to do.

As they passed an alleyway near their building, Lucy faintly spotted something red in the corner of her eye. Wrapped up in what looked to be Naruto's sage cloak, was Cana. She was almost completely covered in snow with bottles of boozed scattered all around her. "What are you doing passed out here!?"

Naruto gained a bleak expression as he watched Lucy fish the brunette out of the snow. He was worried if Cana was okay, but the situation almost seemed fitting for the alcoholic…

* * *

 **Fairy Tail…**

Makarov sighed as he leaned back in his chair. With the announcement finally out, the guild had been rowdy the entire day. "I must be getting old…"

"Saying that will only make it a reality."

The old man grinned at the other man in the room. "That it does… Thank you for agreeing to help with the test this year, Kakashi-San. With Mystogan gone we only have three S-Class mages left… I'm just glad Gildarts happened to be here this year."

"It's the least we can do for letting Naruto go to the Island. Though I still find it strange that he met this person through dreams…" Kakashi said and chuckled. "We truly are in another world."

"Mavis Vermillion was said to have worked in mysterious ways..." Makarov said before letting out a sigh. He had learned learned from Mest that the counsel was suspicious of them due to there involvement with the demons of the book of Zeref. So he had decided to alter the man's memories using his 'key' and have him convince the counsel that Raven Tail was a bigger threat. 'By giving Mest the coordinates Gajeel had gotten for me, he should be able to get the counsel off our backs for a little while. Can't have them finding out about Naruto and the others just yet...'

"Any word from Gale?" Kakashi asked, bringing Makarov out of his thoughts.

"No, and it's troubling. I have yet to hear from him since before the Edolas incident."

Kakashi rubbed his chin in thought. Gale Uzumaki was an elite shinobi that was handpicked by the third Hokage to watch over Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the village's tailed beast. So it wasn't a surprise that such an independent ninja was out of their sights. "Did he ever mention how he came to Earthland?"

"No. The few times we spoke in person, he would only talk about Naruto or the Dark guild's movements."

"So we can assume that the Dark guilds are keeping a low profile. That is, if Gale is still out there."

Makarov hummed in agreement. While he wasn't exactly friends with the red-haired man, it was in his nature to worry. After all, the man was dealing with societies most notorious mages.

* * *

A man sat motionlessly atop a mountain peak, the wind whistling through his red hair.

Gale watched as the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon, the smallest of smiles on his war hardened face. "So, the time has finally come…"

* * *

 **A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

… **Sorry, I just had to get that out. I really hate getting these chapter out so late. :(**

 **My tardiness aside, this was quite a filled chapter if I do say so myself! I wanted to add more… but I felt like this was a good way to end it. That, and I didn't want to keep this to myself any longer. XD**

 **So as always, leave a review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	38. What True Friends Should Do

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

"Achoo!" Cana wheezed and rubbed her nose irritably. Having been brought to Naruto and Lucy's apartment, she was now sitting on the couch/Naruto's bed wrapped in a blanket. "Whew… Thanks, you saved me…"

"Are you sure you're okay? How long were you out there?" Naruto asked and placed a hot cup of tea in front the girl.

"Aw~ Are you worried about me? That makes me so ha… Achoo!" Cana said in a cute voice, or at least tried to but ended up sneezing at the end. She looked at the drink in front of her skeptically. "This isn't coffee, is it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No, it's tea. It'll warm you up."

Cana chuckled dryly and took a sip of the warm beverage. As she drank the hot tea, her eyes clouded over as is having grim thoughts.

This did not bode well with Naruto. 'Something about Cana's mood seems a bit off. I wonder if something's bothering her…'

Before Naruto asked, Lucy walked out of the bathroom.

"The bath is ready, now go warm yourself up before you catch a cold."

"…Hm? Oh, thanks Lucy." Cana said and placed her cup down. She then stood up and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her silently.

"Do you think she's okay?" Lucy asked Naruto, who shook his head.

"I don't know… She seems kinda down."

Lucy hummed in agreement. There was obviously something bothering Cana, but it would be rude to just ask. 'We should cheer her up somehow…'

After Cana finished soaking in the bath, she burst through the door with newfound energy. "AH! That was refreshing! I owe you guys one! Let's go to the late-night bar, drinks on me!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Uh, no. What were you doing in that alley in the first pla-"

"Hey Cana, do you to come with us on a quick trip?" Lucy chimed in, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder to stop him from talking.

Naruto looked at Lucy with a raised eyebrow. Partially at being interrupted, but mostly by the fact that she had suddenly invited Cana to go with them to Lamia Scale. Not that he minded.

Cana seemed taken aback from the sudden invitation. "A trip? What kind of trip?"

Lucy smiled awkwardly from their questioning looks. "We were going to Lamia Scale so Naruto could talk to a friend before the S-Class trials. I know you probably want to train a bit before the trials but… Do you maybe want to come with us?"

"I don't know… I wouldn't want to bother your alone time with Naruto." Cana teased, earning a pout from the other girl. "Alright, I'll go. I was gonna hit a couple more bars before the trials, but I guess I can tag along. Besides, this sounds like fun. Naruto's like a walking romance drama."

'She wasn't even going to train?' Naruto thought with a sweatdrop before blinking. "Wait a second! What do you mean I'm a walking romance drama!?"

Cana laughed at the ranting boy. 'Phew… To think I almost spilled my guts to them. Knowing Naruto, he'd probably storm over to Gildart's place and start a fight.'

As Naruto continued to yell at Cana, Lucy smiled. 'Though I may be losing some alone time with Naruto, this should cheer Cana up a bit.' Not that she was really expecting to get some alone time with the shinobi.

Juvia was obviously going with them.

* * *

 **Training Field…**

"What do you mean you're not coming!?" Lucy yelled in disbelief.

Despite being shouted at, Juvia retained her neutral expression. "Juvia needs to practice her new abilities. Therefore, Juvia can't go." After her little skirmish with Sakura, Juvia realized just how much she needed to train. Not just in her newly gained dragon slayer magic, but her battle awareness as well. Had she noticed the paper bomb Sakura placed, the outcome would have been different. "Though it is reassuring to see that Cana-San will be going as well."

Cana smirked. "Oh? Why is that?"

Juvia returned the smirk. "Because Naruto-Sama doesn't like alcohol, and wouldn't want to be near someone who drinks it all the time. Much less kiss them."

Cana sweatdropped. 'She kinda has a point, but that somehow makes me angry…'

"I guess it can't be helped if you're serious about your training. Good for you Juvia-Chan, I'll be rooting for you!" Naruto said and gave the girl a thumbs up. He was glad to see the girl wanting to improve her skills. After all, Juvia needed to work hard if she wanted to use her dragon slayer magic effectively during the S-Class trials.

Juvia blushed and gained hearts in her eyes from being praised. "Juvia will work hard for Naruto-Sama's sake!"

"T-thanks… But you should work for your own sake too." Naruto said while scratching his cheek awkwardly. Though he was glad to see Juvia acting more herself today.

Lucy was at a loss for words. Juvia wasn't going with them!? '…Then that means I would have been alone with Naruto!'

Seeing Lucy's troubled state, Cana snickered. 'I'm surprised Juvia isn't coming with us as well. Looks like I'll have to step in and be Lucy's "rival in love".'

"So, how do we get to Lamia Scale?" Naruto asked Lucy, and the girl weakly pointed a finger towards the town.

"It's not too far, but we'll need to take a carriage…" Lucy said and sighed. 'Well, what's done is done… This is what I get for not listening to Levy-Chan.' She thought, remembering how her friend had she was too nice to her "enemies" and that she needed to start worrying about her own needs a little more. But Lucy was worried about Cana, so all's well that ends well.

Naruto nodded before a thought occurred to him. 'Ah, I better send some clones to tell the others I'm leaving. Don't want to make Sakura-Chan any angrier…'

After saying their farewells, the trio left the training field in search for a ride to Margaret Town.

"…"

When Juvia was the only one in the grassy field, she reached out her right hand in front of her as if to grab something and water gathered over it. The grip in her hand tightened as she began to pull something out of the water. "With this, Juvia will be able to stand by Naruto-Sama's side."

* * *

Having arrived in Margaret Town in a short few hours, Naruto hopped out of the carriage and looked around. "Woah… This place is bigger than Magnolia town." He said in awe as he watched the dozens of people walk through the streets.

"This is one of Fiore's major cities." Cana said as she walked next to him. "Hey, are you sure you don't want your cloak back?" Cana was currently wearing Naruto's sage cloak. She had already finished sewing it back together, but the ninja had insisted on her keeping it until they got back to the guild.

"Nah, it's fine. It's still pretty cold outside, and I don't want you getting a cold before the S-Class trials." Naruto said with a shrug. Knowing Cana, she would just get drunk in an alleyway again. It was snowy weather in Fiore right now, so his Sage Cloak would at least keep her from freezing to death.

"Heh, well thanks. I appreciate it…" Cana actually found herself blushing from Naruto's considerate thoughts. 'What the hell… I can't even think of a way to tease him about this… I must be drink.'

While Naruto and Cana were chatting about the city, Lucy was forced to pay the carriage driver.

'Why am I paying for the ride…?' Lucy complained as she gave the man the money they owed. She was glad Cana seemed to be cheering up like she planned, but that didn't mean she wanted to be ignored.

Looking around for any signs of Lamia Scale, Naruto could hear a faint thumping sound in the distance. "What's that sound?"

One of the citizens of the city overheard Naruto's question and walked over to them. "That's one of Lamia Scale's shows you're hearing right now."

"Shows?" The Fairy Tail members asked.

The man nodded excitedly. "Today's show is one of Killer Bee-Sama's special performances!"

'Bee-Ossan has a performance!?' Naruto thought with wide eyes. 'Man, I really gotta pick up a Weekly Sorcerer's Magazine when we get back…'

"How do we get to Lamia Scale from here?" Lucy asked and after getting the man's directions, the group was walking towards Lamia Scale.

The closer they got to the guild, the louder the thumping became until they were finally standing in front of Lamia Scale. The building was a castle-like structure with two Lamia statues at each side of the gate entryway. The massive structure seemed to be bouncing every time there was a thump.

"This music is pretty loud… It's giving me a headache." Cana complained while holding her thumping head. It didn't help that she was slightly drunk from drinking during their trip here.

"You guys can wait outside if you want, I just wanted to ask Bee-Ossan some questions anyway." Naruto said and Cana immediately took up his offer.

"Since the sun is going to set by the time you're done here, we might as well stay the night! Lucy and I will check us into an inn, maybe even hit the hot springs! Come on Lucy!"

"Wha-Hey!" Lucy didn't have a chance to say anything when Cana dragged her away from the noisy guild and into a city.

Naruto chuckled as he watched the two disappear into the city. This actually worked better for him, especially with what he was about to do next. Naruto turned towards the gate and walked into Lamia Scale.

* * *

Sakura grumbled to herself as she walked into Fairy Tail, the mages clearing a path as the brooding teenager walked past them. Sitting at the bar with a loud thump, she rested her head in her hands. 'Stupid Naruto, sending a shadow clone to tell us he was leaving… What? Was he too much in a hurry to run away with his new friends to say goodbye in person?'

"Lee! Help me practice for the trials! I need to get strong enough to beat Naruto!" Natsu's loud voice echoed throughout the guild.

"Defeating Naruto-Kun is something I must train for as well… So, let us train together!" Lee's voice followed suit. "Will you join us, Elfman-Kun?"

"As a man, I can't be left behind!" Elfman's voice boomed and the three, and Happy, cheered.

"Youthful men!"

'Why do they have to be so loud…' Sakura thought as she watched the four boys sprint out of the guild.

"Are you still mad at Naruto-Kun?"

Sakura looked up to find Mirajane smiling at her. "I don't even know anymore…"

"What are you mad at him about? If you don't mind me asking?" Mirajane asked softly. Sakura had been in a foul mood since Naruto had returned from his last job, and she hadn't had a chance to ask what happened since the medic had locked herself in her room the previous day.

Letting out a sigh, Sakura shook her head. "I don't know why this is bothering me so much… I guess I just feel like Naruto doesn't care about us anymore."

Mirajane frowned, but let the girl continue.

"He suddenly disappears for weeks, and when we finally get to where he is, I find out he's joined a random guild and is messing around with a bunch of girls!" Sakura yelled the last part out, slamming her hands on the bar in anger.

Mirajane let the rosette calm herself a little before she spoke softly. "Naruto-Kun has done a great deal for this guild. Even me… Now, I don't know about him messing with girls, but Naruto-Kun joined Fairy Tail because he was searching for a way home and thought we could help him."

Sakura looked at the now cracked counter and frowned. She knew he was stuck here because the scroll was binding him somehow… 'But that doesn't excuse him ignoring us!'

"But I guess he ended up helping us more than we could help hi-Oh, Sakura-San?" Mirajane asked when Sakura suddenly stood up and started walking towards the guild doors.

"I need to take a walk…" Sakura said with her head down.

'She'll come around…' Mirajane thought and went back to work, thinking about what she do the next time Naruto came around. 'Maybe I should take him out on a job…'

* * *

 **Lamia Scale…**

"WHO YA GONNA CALL WHEN THE GOIN GETS TOUGH FOR YA?"

"BEE-SAMA!"

"WHO YA GONNA CALL WHEN YOU NEED A BIJUUUUU-DAMA?"

"BEE-SAMA!"

"HELL YA! WHEEEEEEE~!" Killer Bee shouted into the microphone while throwing his fee hand into the air.

"BEE-SAMA! BEE-SAMA! BEE-SAMA!" The crowd cheered and chanted the man's name.

Naruto stood at the entrance, slack jawed from what he was seeing. The guild was set up in a similar way Fairy Tail would be when Mirajane was performing one of her songs, only this wasn't any kind of performance Naruto had ever seen before. No, this was one of Killer Bee's "Killer Rhyme" shows.

Shaking his head, Naruto began to push his way through the crowd.

"Hm?" Killer Bee noticed a mob of messy blonde hair crawling through the crowd, and when he realized it was Naruto he grinned. "Look what the fox dragged into Bee-Sama's den~ A fellow ninja, don't let him hit ya, Naruto Uzumaki once again~!"

"…Eh?" Naruto said when he was suddenly in the spotlight. When did the crowd spread apart!? "U-um… Naruto from Fairy Tail coming at you like a pro~ I wanna keep it brief, ya know- Wait, no!" Naruto said and shook his head, and the crowd whined when he stopped. 'That was close… I was almost dragged into this weirdness…'

"Nooo~ Why'd ya stop, yo?" Killer Bee complained while Naruto climbed onto the stage. "This is Killer Bee-Sama's Killer Rhymes! Get with the times!"

Naruto cringed when the crowd began to boo him off the stage. 'They actually like his terrible rhymes? No, this isn't what I came here for.'

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Naruto pointed at Killer Bee. "Konoha has been requested by the Raikage to bring you back home. We found a way back, so let's go Bee-Ossan."

* * *

Sakura was walking through the town when she suddenly bumped into someone. "Ah, my bad…"

"Geez, watch where you're going-Geh!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the strange noise the teen in front of her made. He had raven black hair and sharp black eyes that sort of reminded her of Sasuke in a way. "Gray…San is it?" Sakura asked, faintly remembering this boy from the guild.

"Y-yeah… Sorry about bumping into you. I should have been paying better attention." Gray said and rubbed the back of his head. He was about to walk away when Sakura spoke up.

"…Hey, what are some of the things Naruto's done here?"

Gray raised an eyebrow. Where was this coming from? "Uh… Naruto's done a lot for us. It's not really my place to talk about the things he's done for the others, but he sort of helped me with my inner demons in a way." Gray scratched his cheek, he hated talking about stuff like this. "Naruto was able to change of friend of mine when I couldn't get through to him. Had Naruto not been here, I doubt he would have changed and he'd probably be dead right now. For that, I owe Naruto a lot."

Sakura frowned and started walking off. "…Thanks."

'What's up with her?' Gray thought as he watched the girl leave. He had heard rumors about Sakura having a fight with Naruto and Juvia. 'I wonder if she's looking for Juvia… I don't wanna be around if she is.'

* * *

 **Lamia Scale…**

It was an obvious lie, but Bee didn't know that. It was all part of Naruto's plan. 'I don't think he'll actually believe me… but I just want to see how he reacts.' Naruto thought as he eyed the swordsman with a calculative eye.

"Geh! My brotha!?" B said and began to sweat profoundly, gulping at the mentioning of A.

'Good, he believes me. Now to get his answer.' Naruto thought and nodded to the older ninja. "Yeah, they did. So, don't you want to go home? See your precious people again?" Naruto remembered Bee telling him how the village had accepted him just as Konoha had recently done so for him. He didn't know the details, but Bee had to have some attachments that would make him want to go home. He did mention a brother after all.

But what Killer Bee said next shocked Naruto to the core.

"No way! I don't wanna go, ya hear me!? Earthland is a Jinchuuriki's sanctuary!" Killer Bee rhymed into the microphone while taking a defensive stance, and the crowd cheered for him. Somewhere along the line, they saw this as a showdown between Naruto and Killer Bee.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, but he kept his expression serious. "But don't you want to see your friends back home? Don't you miss them?"

"I miss his friends, my brotha… But I know they'll be fine without me for a year or anotha!" Bee said and gestured towards the crowd. "This guild, these people, have accepted Killer Bee-Sama for who he is! They need me here, just as I need them! For them, I will rhyme!"

Some of the guild members in the crowd began to cry.

* * *

Sakura found herself in the outskirts of town. 'I guess Naruto hasn't been just messing around this whole time…'

But if that were the case, then why were there so many girls around him!? It just didn't add up to her. There was Juvia, who was like a fan-girl that was obsessed with the blonde. There was also that alcoholic woman she believed was named Cana. Every time the two talked, she was always flirting and teasing him. There was also Lucy, and despite what the girl had told her, Sakura still found the fact they were living together suspicious.

'I also think Mirajane-San might like him… With the way she looks at him and talks about him.' Sakura thought as she unconsciously walked further out of the town. 'I feel bad for Hinata… She's so shy, and now she suddenly has to compete with all of these… busty girls…' It still pissed her off with how "fortunate" some of these girls were. Seriously, it was like seeing a bunch of Tsunades. 'Though I don't think any of them are quite on master's level…'

Sakura placed her hands over her own chest and grimaced before shaking her head. "Maybe it has something to do with the magic in the air…"

"Ha!"

Sakura heard a loud shout and a cutting noise, and she looked up to see a tree fall down right in front of her. It took her a couple seconds to register what had happened before she growled in anger. "What the hell are you doing!? You could have killed me!"

"Ah! Sorry! Juvia was so focused in her training… ah…" Juvia stopped when hers and Sakura's eyes met. The two stared at each other heatedly.

'What's she doing out here?' Sakura thought as a bead of sweat trailed down the side of her face. After what happened between the two of them the other day, it was quite a tense situation.

"Ah!" Juvia suddenly shouted, causing the pink haired girl to jump slightly. "Sakura-San is attacking Juvia while she's too tired to fight back!" The water mage yelled and took a defensive stance. "As expected of a ninja!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Um… No, I actually didn't even mean to come out here."

Juvia glared at Sakura for a long second before visibly relaxing. "Is that so… Then Juvia will continue her training."

Sakura watched Juvia begin to walk away before a thought came to her. "…Wait. I want to ask you something."

Juvia stopped and turned around, surprised by the sudden question. "What?"

"Are you trying to keep Naruto here? Despite knowing he has friends, dreams, and promises back in Konoha?" Sakura asked and Juvia's eyes widened. "Are you trying to keep Naruto from achieving his goals? From keeping his promises?"

Juvia's eyes widened when she heard the word 'promises', the memory of her talk with Naruto the night she fought Sakura flashing in her mind.

 **Flashback**

After their confrontation with Sakura, Naruto had walked Juvia all the way to Fairy Hills. Both hadn't said a word until Juvia finally broke down.

"Juvia's so sorry!" Juvia balled and fell to her knees behind the blonde, her hat falling to the ground. "Because of Juvia's selfish choices and making Naruto-Sama go on a date with her, Sakura-San had a fight… J-Juvia…!" Juvia clamped her mouth shut when she felt a hand touch her head. She looked up and saw Naruto crouched in front of her, patting her head.

"The one being selfish is me, Juvia-Chan. Making you wait like I am…" He said and frowned. "I'm not being very fair, to all my friends."

"I-it's okay, Naruto-Sama! Juvia will wait as long as she needs to! Even if it isn't Juvia in the end… So long as Naruto-Sama is happy…" Juvia said and looked down. It wasn't like she hadn't given the thought of the possibility of Naruto choosing someone else. That's why she tried so hard to get his affection. Because she was afraid of losing him. But in the end, the most important thing to Juvia was Naruto's happiness.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Thank you… Juvia-Chan." He whispered softly and stood up, and he helped the girl back to her feet.

"What about Sakura-San?" Juvia asked and Naruto sighed.

"Sakura-Chan… She's probably mad at me because I made a promise to her a long time ago…" Naruto then explained to Juvia about Sasuke defecting from Konoha, and his promise to Sakura.

"She once confessed to me…" Naruto said sadly, and Juvia's eyes shot open. "But she was lying in order to keep me from chasing Sasuke. He's… done a lot of bad things. But she still loves him, so that's why I'll never quit."

 **End Flashback**

"…Juvia finally understands what is going on." Juvia said, her expression losing all emotion. "Juvia had initially thought it was because Sakura-San was jealous, but that is clearly not the case here."

Sakura balked. "Who's jealous of who!?"

"Sakura-San feels like Naruto-Sama won't keep his promise to bring back Sasuke." Juvia said, and Sakura's eyes widened at the mentioning of the Uchiha. "Is that all Naruto-Sama is to you? Someone that will bring back Sasuke? If that is the case, then Sakura-San is doing nothing more than taking advantage of Naruto-Sama's good nature for her own selfish needs." Juvia spat, and Sakura decided she wouldn't take any more of this.

"Now listen here you little-"

 **SLAP!**

Juvia slapped Sakura, and the surprised girl held her now burning cheek with wide eyes.

"No YOU listen!" Juvia shouted, dropping her third person speech pattern in the prosses. "How could you be so selfish? If Naruto is truly your friend, then you should be happy for him for having fun! Yet you're stressing him out by making him feel like he has to choose between his friends!" Juvia all but screamed at Sakura, causing the girl to flinch back.

"I…"

"Naruto told me about your little "confession"…" Juvia said with a frown. "How hypocritical… You can't just let him be happy?"

Sakura fell silent, the harsh words of the rain woman hit her hard. 'She's right… I really am a hypocrite, aren't I?' Tears began to form in the corners of Sakura's eyes. She wanted to take back what she said to Naruto that night. He wasn't only goofing around, nor was he ignoring them. Naruto didn't need any crap from her now, he already enough to worry about. Naruto was doing his best, like he always did…

Sakura collapsed to her knees and sobbed. "Naruto… I-I'm so sorry…"

Juvia took a step back. 'G-geh… Did Juvia go a little too far?' She watched the girl's crying form for a couple seconds before walking next to her. "U-um… If Sakura-San apologizes to Naruto-Sama… I'm sure Naruto-Sama would understand." Juvia said in what she thought was a comforting voice, patting the girl on the back awkwardly.

"H-he's… just that kind of person… isn't he?" Sakura sniffled and stood back up, placing a hand on her arm in embarrassment. "I've been so unfair to him… I don't think I deserve forgiveness."

'No, you don't.' Juvia thought mercilessly, but kept it to herself.

"I'm sorry, Juvia-San. About all the things I said about you…"

'You said things about Juvia!? What kind of thing!?' Juvia thought and smiled bitterly. "I-it's all in the past now. Just try to think about Naruto-Sama's feelings more."

Sakura nodded and turned back towards the town. 'I'll make it up to you Naruto, I promise!'

* * *

"If my friends, I believe, say they care about me~ Then they'll support me as I do as I please, so long as I'm happy~ WHEEEEEEE!" Killer Bee roared into the microphone, and the crowd cheered loudly as the music began to play again.

Naruto chuckled at the scene. It was kind of hard to understand the rapper, but he understood enough to get what the man was saying. 'Looks like I got my answer… I know what I need to do now.'

"Yo, Naruto!" Bee said as Naruto began to leave.

"Huh?" Naruto turned back and saw Killer Bee holding his fist out to him. Grinning, Naruto walked back to the man and bumped his fist.

"Do what ya gotta do~ If your friends really care you~ They'll follow through~!"

Naruto nodded and hopped off the stage. The crowd cleared a path for him so he could reach the exit. Before he opened the door to leave, Naruto turned around and shouted. "This is my lost, Bee-Ossan! But I'll be back again, so bring it on!"

* * *

Naruto opened the slide door to the room Cana had rented for them. "Leave it to Cana to choose the most expensive plac-Wah!" The first thing he saw was Cana sitting at the table in the middle of the room sitting in a very unfeminine fashion, wearing nothing but her panties. The only thing covering her chest was her hair that was falling to the sides of her head.

"Well hey there Naruto, bout time you got here." Cana said with a lazy wave.

Naruto shielded his eyes when Cana's hair moved, and pointed at the girl with a flailing arm. "W-w-what are you doing!?"

Cana raised an eyebrow as if Naruto was the one acting strange. "Our clothes are being washed, and we didn't bring any spares because we didn't know we'd be staying the night here."

Naruto peeked an eye out. "Our? We?"

"Are you drinking again, Cana? I told you not to order… anymore… drinks…" Lucy turned the corner and her worlds trailed off when her eyes met Naruto's.

Naruto blushed furiously when he noticed the girl was wearing a pink apron.

ONLY, a pink apron.

Naruto's hands shot straight to his nose when he felt a nose bleed coming, but he was finished off was when Lucy turned tail and ran off.

"Oh no! I forgot about the back!" Lucy screamed and covered her exposed behind, but it was too late. Naruto had gotten a full view of her exposed rear end.

"Guhoh!" Naruto flew back, leaving two trails of blood behind.

Cana, who found the scene to be rather amusing, was laughing her butt off. "Oh man! I was right! You two are just the best!"

Naruto wiped his still bleeding nose, all the while grumbling at the carefree brunette who was now slapping the table. "I'm going to the onsen…"

Cana waved him goodbye while trying to control her laughing fit.

After Naruto left Lucy poked her head around the corner, a not so pleased look on her face. "You could have said something, Cana…"

Having calmed herself, Cana took one look at Lucy's pouting face before falling on her back and laughing some more.

Lucy stomped over to the entrance to their room and slid to door shut. She stiffened when Cana suddenly whistled.

"Man, I can see why Naruto reacted the way he did. That's quite a nice view~"

"Sh-shut up!"

* * *

Naruto sank into the warm water of the men's bath until only the upper part of his face was showing. 'Jeez… Why does Cana keep teasing me like that?' He thought and closed his eyes in relaxation, blowing bubbles into the water.

Naruto heard someone enter the onsen, but he didn't bother opening his eyes. He was here to relax after all.

'Lucy too… What was she doing, walking around the room wearing something like that?' The image of Lucy's near naked form flashed in his mind, and Naruto shook his head and leaned back onto the cut stone. 'No no no! Clear your mind…'

He then heard the person step into the bath, and this cause Naruto to raise an eyebrow. The bath itself was pretty big, but what confused him was that the person had decided to sit next to him.

But he didn't open his eyes and continued to relax in the refreshingly warm spring water.

"This onsen is nice. I was surprised when I saw this world had some."

Naruto hummed in agreement. "I was surprised too. This world has a lot of similar things…"

Wait.

This world?

Naruto's eyes shot open and he looked to his left to see Gale relaxing in the water right next to him. "Eh!? What are you doing here!?" Naruto yelled and jumped to his feet while pointing at the man.

There he was, Gale Uzumaki, sitting in the onsen like it was natural. He had his shoulder length red hair tied up behind his head in a manbun.

Gale cracked an eye open and frowned. "It is impolite to yell in an onsen."

Naruto's outstretched arm fell to his side as he sank back down into the water. It was just one thing after another today!

* * *

 **A/N: Bet you all were thinking someone else entered the onsen with Naruto, huh? Pervs… lol**

 **Sorry I cut it short here, but my classes end next week so I'll have a lot of time to write from here on out when I'm not working. :)**

 **Looks like Sakura was finally 'put in her place', as the kids say. Hopefully you guys are satisfied with this resolution.**

 **With this last chapter, we hit 800 reviews! Thank you all for your continued support! You make this lazy writer happy! XD**

 **Next time we're(hopefully) going to Tenrou Island! Let me know if you have any ideas/suggestions!**

 **Okay, I have a selfish request I'd like to ask any artists who may happen to be reading this story. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to create a picture for The Fox Scroll. Long story short, I suck at art. The one I'm using now was me literally taking a picture of Sage Mode Naruto and splattering color over it in Microsoft paint... P.M. me if anyone is interested. I would be SUPER happy! :D**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	39. The Trials Begin!

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: Before we get started, I have a humble request that I'd like to ask any artists who may happen to be reading this story. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to create a picture for The Fox Scroll's cover art. Long story short, I suck at drawing/painting/anything artistic. The cover art I'm using now was me literally taking a picture of Sage Mode Naruto and splattering color over it in Microsoft paint... P.M. me if anyone is interested. I would be SUPER happy! :D**

* * *

Naruto sat cross-legged in the onsen staring at red haired man in front of him. The man had many scars on his torso. But the most noticeable one was the large scar on his left pictorial. 'Hey… that looks like-'

"I received this scar from the previous nine-tail's jinchuuriki." Gale said without opening his eyes.

Naruto yipped and stepped back from the man, making a mock-karate stance.

'C-can he read minds too!?' Shaking his head, Naruto sat back down. "The previous nine-tail's jinchuuriki?"

"Yes." Gale opened his eyes and looked up into the sky, as if reminiscing something. The man usually held a level expression, but Naruto could see a bit of sadness in his eyes. "But that was a long time ago and not what I came to you to talk about."

Naruto frowned, slightly disappointed he couldn't hear more about the previous jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox. But he would ask him later.

"It has come to my attention you will be going to Tenrou Island to master the Kyuubi's power."

"Yeah, old man Makarov is bringing me there as a contestant for Fairy Tail's S-Class mage trials."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "This is news to me. What is an S-Class mage trial?"

Naruto's expression grew more excited, his tone as well. "I think it's kinda like the Elemental Nations' chunin exams! Kakashi-Sensei even said I could become a chunin if he thinks I'm ready!"

"Sounds like fun. Just remember the main reason you are going there for is to tame the Kyuubi."

Naruto groaned. "Yeah, I know…"

Gale grunted from Naruto's response, but his expression remained serious. "But tell me, how are you going to face your inner darkness on that island?"

"Mmm… I'm not really sure actually." Naruto said and laughed. "I'm kinda just trusting Mavis with the details."

'Mavis… The founder and first master of the Fairy Tail guild.' Gale thought as Naruto continued to laugh, and the man sighed. 'This kid is a little too trusting for his own good…' Gale had been surprised at how easily Naruto had trusted him when he said he was from the Elemental Nations.

"Hey, the old man said he hasn't heard from you for a while. Why's that?" Naruto asked.

"I've been trying to locate all the dark guilds, and I did not want anyone else involved." Gale held a great deal of respect for Makarov. The man had not only helped him out, but Naruto as well. All out of the kindness of his heart. There weren't many people like that in both of their worlds.

"Hm..." Naruto hummed before grinning. Despite his war hardened appearance, it seemed like Gale cared about others.

Naruto stood up and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Well, I think I'm getting out."

Gale did not get up to follow, he was going to soak in the water for a little longer. Instead, he asked one last question. "Have you made a decision?"

Naruto frowned. "Decision?"

Gale nodded sternly. "If you were forced to choose sides."

Naruto's frown turned into a wide grin. "Yup!"

For the first time in their conversation, Gale grinned. Albeit not as wide as Naruto's grin, but just as true.

Seeing this, Naruto scratched his cheek. "Instead of showing up at random times like this… You should come to the guild sometime, ya know?"

Gale seemed taken aback from the sudden gesture. Crossing his arms, the man gave a short nod. "Hm… Perhaps I might come and visit in the future."

Naruto grinned again before hopping out of the onsen and taking off. "Sweet! See ya, Gale-Ossan!"

'Ossan…?' Gale thought with a sweatdrop as he watched the teen run into the building. Shaking his head, the man leaned back onto warm stones surrounding the water. He was still worried about Naruto taking on the Kyuubi, but this was something a jinchuuriki had to do on their own.

"Good luck, Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

 **The Next Morning…**

"Naruto Uzumaki, I challenge you to a duel!"

"Huh?"

Standing in front of Naruto and the girls, was Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy. The carriage was just about to leave when the ice mage had stopped them with a wall of ice.

Having heard the blonde was in town, Lyon had rushed out to find the man he vowed to surpass, other than Jura and Killer Bee, with Sherry following behind because she knew Lucy would likely be with the ninja.

Naruto looked around. "A duel? In the middle of town?"

Lyon nodded and with the flick of his wrist, three more walls of transparent ice rose from the ground to form an arena. He knew Naruto was worried about the townsfolk. "I think this relinquishes of your worries, doesn't it?"

Naruto nodded as he looked at the ice, as well as the crowd that was beginning to form. "Okay, if you wanna fight me so bad, who am I to say no?"

'And yet he constantly leaves Gajeel hanging…' Lucy said with a sweatdrop, but her eyes shot open when Naruto's eyes turned crimson. "He's went into sage mode!?"

"It matters not what your Naruto pulls out, for Lyon-Sama has gone through vigorous training for this day!" Sherry stated with pride clear in her voice. She then clasped her hands together and looked towards the sky, a deep blush on her cheeks. "Lyon-Sama will surely win this battle… For love!"

"I-is that so?" Lucy said while smiling awkwardly, it was always hard to respond to this girl.

Cana nudged Lucy on the shoulder " _Your_ Naruto? Pfft…!"

Lucy blushed and turned away in a fit. "S-shut up!"

Lyon smirked and bashed his hands together. "You don't know how long I've waited for this moment! I've trained everyday day since that time to defeat you!"

Naruto cracked his knuckles and returned the smirk. "Alright Lyon, let's do this!"

"Do your best, Lyon-Sama!" Sherry cheered merrily.

* * *

"No! Lyon-Sama!" Sherry cried out.

"Don't you think that was a little… extreme?" Lucy asked as she looked out the window of their carriage and at the steaming form that was Lyon, whose body was currently imbedded in the concrete.

Naruto had taken the poor boy by surprise with the sheer speed and power that came with the magic enhanced sage mode, and plowed him into the ground.

Cana on the other hand, was laughing hysterically. "Oh my god, no mercy! You went all out from the start!" She then stopped laughing when a sudden thought occurred to her. If she were to fight during the S-Class mage trials, which would be entirely unheard of, would Naruto go all-out on her like that? '…Maybe I should train a little.'

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "He wanted a fight, so I gave him one. Besides, I promised Erza that I'd stop holding back."

'I think you're taking her words a little too seriously…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop.

The rest of their ride home had been a pleasant one, with Naruto sharing some of his past to them, and Cana teasing him about Sakura turning him down all the time.

When the carriage reached Magnolia, Naruto had gotten off early to go to his usual training field to meet up with Wendy so the two could train together.

That left Lucy and Cana walking back to the guild together. Because it was still snowing slightly, Naruto had left Cana with his sage cloak. This slightly annoyed Lucy, as she thought Naruto was only worried about Cana.

'It may have been my plan to invite Cana along to cheer her up, and it seemed to have worked… But he could have asked if I was cold.' Lucy thought as she stared at the girl walking next to her. There was a slight blush to Cana's cheeks, but Lucy couldn't tell if it was because of Naruto or the temperature.

For her own sake, she assumed the latter.

"Hi guys! Welcome back!" Mirajane called out to the two, with Lisanna walking next to her.

"Hi Mira-San, Lisanna! We just got back!" Lucy said as the group of girls stopped in front of each other.

Mirajane looked around. "Wasn't Naruto-Kun with you?"

Cana nodded. "He left to go to train with Wendy."

"In this weather? Hope they don't catch a cold..." Lisanna said before she noticed Cana's attire, and the sirens began to ring in her head. This meant trouble for her sister. "Hey, isn't that Naruto's?"

"Yeah, he let me wear it because he was worried about me. Isn't that just sweet~" Cana cooed, making sure to look at Mira when she said the last part.

Lucy sweatdropped. 'Is she trying to create a misunderstanding?'

But Mira simply smiled warmly at the news. "Aw~ Isn't he a sweetheart? Well, Lisanna and I have to get going. The guild is running low on drinks and the master is 'preparing' for the trials." When she said Makarov was preparing for the trials, she meant he was drinking the night away to lessen his stress for the destruction that was probably going to befall upon their sacred island. After all, the most destructive mages in the guild were all participating this year.

"A-ah, right Mira-Nee…" Lisanna said and followed her older sister, but not before glancing back at Cana. She'd have to keep an eye on that girl. 'For Mira-Nee's sake of course! I have _my_ Natsu!'

Cana waved goodbye to the Strauss sisters. 'That wasn't quite the reaction I was hoping for…'

Lucy sighed and the two continued on their way to the guild.

"Did you know that two years before the Edolas incident was when we thought Lisanna had died?" Cana suddenly asked her blonde friend.

"No... nobody ever really talked about her before she came back through the reverse Anima." Lucy admitted, not quite sure where this was coming from.

"Well, when Lisanna was still around, quite frankly, things were quite different. Like for example, Erza and Mira would always get into fights just like Gray and Natsu do now." Cana began with an amused grin.

"Really!? Erza and Mira-san?" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief, thinking of the two beautiful mages were way too level-headed to ever pick fights with one another.

"Yup! Those were the days... However, after Lisanna 'died' Natsu got more intense in his training, Elfman tried to become more of a 'man', and Mira stopped picking fights, lost most of her magic and adopted the motherly persona you have known since you got here Lucy." Cana continued.

"I always did wonder about that... I've heard rumors about Mira-san being an amazing S-class wizard on par with Erza, but up to the battle of Fairy Tail she seemed no more powerful than me." Lucy wondered out loud.

"A year later when Mira turned eighteen, she started modeling and became the top model in all of Fiore." Cana said with a short nod.

Lucy only nodded her head, having followed the Weekly Sorcerer's Magazine around the same time and hearing about Mirajane's success.

"I think she did all that not only due to losing her magic power but to fill a hole in her heart from the loss of her little sister." Cana whispered, and Lucy frowned sadly. This was a lot she hadn't known about the cheerful barmaid.

"Despite being the top model and likely most famous wizard in pure beauty, Mira has never appeared interested in taking a boyfriend Lucy." Cana said very seriously to a shocked Lucy.

"Really? But I think at least half the guys in Fiore would do ANYTHING to be her boyfriend!" Lucy said with super wide eyes.

"Actually, there is bet going on..." Cana began while Lucy rolled her eyes. "About who Mira would end up with, or at least show interest in. Most people bet on Laxus, as weird as that would be, while Erza and I bet on her remaining single." Cana explained to Lucy, who shuddered at the thought of Mira and Laxus being together. "However, when Naruto came to the guild, I made another bet on him as a joke while everyone else thought she was WAY out his league." Cana said in amusement to a fuming Lucy.

'That Cana… betting Naruto would end up with Mira-San as a joke!" Lucy silently fumed while Cana laughed at her expression.

"I was really joking but after our lady chat in the bath, I think I saw Mira's heart quench at hearing Naruto's story, and now I'm thinking my silly bet might have paid off. You don't know this, but Mira could probably relate with Naruto the best in the guild." Cana mentioned to a now very curious Lucy.

"How could Mira-san relate to Naruto?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"When Mira was young and didn't have control over her Take Over: Satan Soul magic, there was an incident where her arm turned into a demon's arm." Cana said sadly and Lucy gasped.

"Her villagers wanted her gone until she and her siblings arrived at Fairy Tail, where she learned control from the master. Because of this and Lisanna's return, this is why I think made Mira fall in love with Naruto." Cana finished with a gleam in her eye while Lucy was so caught into the mood, she didn't realize they were already standing in front of the guild.

"Of course I made my winnings after she hugged him. especially from poor old Wakaba, who was very adamant Mira would not fall for Naruto." Cana cackled, completely ruining the mood for Lucy.

'But still… That would explain why Mira-San so suddenly…' Lucy thought to herself before she bumped into Cana, who had stopped right in front of the entrance. "Cana?"

"Hey, Lucy… Thanks for inviting me to come with you guys. I had a lot of fun." Cana said before turning back to look at the blonde. "But you don't have to worry about me, you and your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend yet!" Lucy shouted before clamping her mouth shut. 'Did I seriously just say that out loud!?'

Cana smirked. "You better be careful, Lucy. Someone might just steal that guy from right underneath you." She said and walked into the guild. "Now, who should I ask to be my partner…"

Lucy pouted at the brunette's retreating form. 'Seriously… That Cana is too hard to read! Does she like Naruto or not?'

* * *

After a couple days of intense training, or in some people's case intense drinking… The day of the S-Class Trials arrived.

Having gathered at the harbor town of Hargeon, the selected mages were now sailing across the vast ocean.

Their destination: Tenrou Island.

"Why is it so hot~" Lucy complained as she laid sprawled out on a beach chair in a very un-ladylike fashion, wearing nothing but a bikini. "Juvia… splash me with water please…"

"Lu-Chan… You look so slovenly like that." Levy said with a sweatdrop.

But Lucy was right, it was extremely hot on the ship. So hot in fact, a lot of them were wearing swimsuits to keep cool.

"Ah~ The ocean! Juvia's sanctum…" Juvia said before shriveling down to the floor. "Is was Juvia wishes she could say… Blugh…"

"I… Blarg! Feel ya…" Natsu wheezed from where he was leaning over the side of the boat.

"Poor Juvia. I guess motion sickness comes with Dragon Slayer magic." Happy said as he rubbed his partner's back.

Juvia crawled over to Naruto, who was sitting on the floor near Lucy. "Naruto-Sama… Please let Juvia rest on Naruto-Sama's lap… Blurg…!"

"Sorry Juvia-Chan… But we're on different teams. Besides, I already have my hands full helping Wendy-Chan." Naruto said apologetically while gesturing to the little girl whose head was happily rested on his lap. He was wearing his orange trunks with black flames and a matching orange unbuttoned shirt, while Wendy was wearing a two-piece striped swimsuit. "But I didn't know you had motion sickness too, Wendy-Chan. I could have sworn you were able to ride on trains just fine…"

"Mufu… I-I used to use Troia on myself… But the effects seem to have… Mufu… worn off." Wendy said in an exaggerated sick voice, and stuck her tongue out at Juvia when Naruto wasn't looking.

"Darn." Juvia said and picked herself up off the ground.

'Sorry Juvia-San, but now it's my turn to be with Naruto-San! I'm not going to lose just because I'm younger!' Wendy thought with fierce look.

Had this been a week ago, Wendy would have been WAY too embarrassed to do something like this. But she had gotten to know Naruto a lot more while they trained together, even more so than when he helped her with her first big job with Cana.

"So you're not feeling any motion sickness?" Lucy asked Juvia as the girl walked next to her.

"Juvia feels a slight sluggishness, but not nearly as much as Natsu-San." Juvia said before glaring at Wendy. 'It seems Wendy-San had a similar plan to rest on Naruto-Sama's lap. A dangerous foe indeed…'

"S-say, are you affected by transportation Gajeel?" Levy meekly asked her partner, who grunted in response.

"No, because I'm not as wimpy as those two." Gajeel said while pointing at the other first generation dragon slayers. He wouldn't dare piss Juvia... The rain woman had proven to become quite a monster when angered, especially when that anger was about Naruto.

"Or maybe because they're stronger than you." Naruto casually said with a shrug, earning a growl from the raven-haired teen.

"I'll fight you right here and now, Uzumaki!"

Naruto smirked at the enraged teen who had taken his bait. "Sure, but I will warn you. I had Kakashi-Sensei and Yamato-Taicho help me learn a few new tricks this last week." Training with Wendy wasn't the only thing he'd done over the past week. Naruto was dying to test out some of his new techniques.

"Now now, let's save our energy for when we actually get there. Shall we?" Loke said in attempt to play peacemaker.

"If we have any energy left! Seriously, what is up with this heat!" Gray said as he unconsciously flung the last of his clothes off his foot.

"I'd like to say it's not so bad, but it's really is hot…" Cana said as she slouched over a table, and her partner agreed with her.

"I hope we get there soon…" Lisanna said. She had offered to be Cana's partner so that she would be able to watch any interactions she had with Naruto. But so far they had barely spoken, most likely due to the heat.

Cana on the other hand was fully aware of this, and had taken the girl's offer because it sounded fun to her. She knew Lisanna was suspicious of her for Mirajane's sake, so having the girl as her partner would bring about many opportunities to tease her and Naruto. But fun could come later. Right now, she needed to focus on becoming S-Class.

"Hey, look!"

Everyone gazed across the sea and saw that the island was now in full view. Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's sacred land. It wasn't a large island, but its most notable landmark was the gigantic tree that held what looked to be a second island on top of it.

Naruto gulped as he stared at the familiar island in awe. This was the place where he was going to face the demon sealed inside him…

"In ancient times, this island was said to have a fairy living on it."

The group looked up to see Makarov, fully dressed in beach clothes, standing on the second floor of the ship.

"A fairy?" Naruto asked and the old man nodded.

"And it is Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion's resting place."

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked back at the island. 'So everything in the dreams I had with Mavis was real. The location, her grave, everything…' He thought with a smile. He couldn't wait to finally meet the girl in person. Growing excited, he whispered something into Wendy's ear.

"Now then, I will announce the preliminary exam." Makarov said and pointed towards the island, and everyone could see a trail of smoke on the shore. "Go to that smoke first. There you will find entrances to paths that look like this."

A magic screen appeared right next to Makarov, showing the layout of the preliminary exams. There were eight paths in total, each one having a different possible outcome. Four of the paths led to a 'fight!', and the other four led to 'harsh fights'. Each of the 'harsh fight' routes led to a large room with a silhouette of someone's face.

. "Only those who can successfully reach the end, will pass the preliminaries." Makarov declared.

"Hey, those silhouettes look like Erza and Gildarts!" Gray said before his eyes widened. "D-don't tell me…"

"In the 'fight' routes, two of the teams will clash and only the victors may continue the exam. The 'harsh fight' is the hardest route where you will have to defeat the current S-Class mages to pass." Makarov said as the contestants muttered to themselves about the impossible routes. "We were originally going to have a safe route, but then I decided against it when I got some volunteers." Makarov said before giggling to himself, earning a couple mortified looks from the crowd.

"No way… We might have to fight Erza?" Lucy said with a shiver before looking at her partner, who was currently trying to get Naruto's attention. 'What have I gotten myself into…'

"Now begin!" Makarov suddenly said, surprising everyone. "The preliminary exam has begun!"

…

"Wah!"

The mages began to scramble towards the edge when the master's words sunk in, all wanting to be first on the island so they didn't have to face Erza or Gildarts. But they were surprised when they were stopped by a purple barrier.

"Not this again!" Natsu yelled as he punched the transparent wall. "Freed! Let us go!"

"Don't worry, the barrier will fade in five minutes." Freed said and took to the air with Bickslow, and the two flew off the side of the ship… Or at least that was their plan. "W-what!?"

Freed and Bickslow plowed face first into an orange wall, and a collection of sloppy looking letters formed in front of them that spelled: 'Gotcha!'. The rune mage chuckled to himself. Naruto was already two steps ahead of them.

All eyes went to Naruto when the whiskered teen burst out laughing.

"Haha! Bet you weren't expecting that, Freed-Sensei!"

"Yeah, well you're trapped in here too genius!" Gajeel spat, grabbing onto the ninja's collar. He was just about ready to knock the little prankster's teeth out.

"Ah, that's alright. I set mine for five minutes too, not that it matters to me." Naruto said before grinning a foxlike grin when the others looked at him in confusion. "Because we're already there."

 **Poof!**

"…EH!?" Was everyone's reaction when Naruto and Wendy burst into smoke.

"Great! Naruto's probably going to set the island full of traps to prank us!" Natsu shouted as he tried to punch his way through the barriers. "It's the twenty-four-hour race all over again!"

Bickslow cackled with glee. "Looks like the student has exceeded the master, eh Freed? Hahaha!"

"Not quite." Freed said and swiped his sword a few times, and opened a hole large enough for the two to fly trough. "Naruto still has a lot to learn till he surpasses my rune magic."

Makarov snickered to himself as the remaining mages frantically thought of a way to get off the boat. 'Cheeky brat... He got impatient and left before I even finished talking.'

* * *

 **On The Island…**

"Are you sure it was okay to leave before the master was done explaining the rules?" Wendy asked as they looked at each of the different tunnels.

"I think I know what the old man was gonna say." Naruto said with wave of his hand before he blinked when the memories of the clones he'd left entered his mind. Sorting through the new information, he grinned. "Remember how I get the memories of my clones when they disperse, Wendy-Chan?"

When the little girl nodded, Naruto explained the rules of the preliminary exam.

Wendy smiled brightly. "Wow! How did Naruto-San know getting here first would give us an advantage?"

"W-well, you know… I've gone through a test kinda like this back in my world, ya know?' Naruto said and scratched his cheek awkwardly. 'I actually wanted to get onto the island as fast as I could...'

'Now, which route should we choose…' Wendy thought as she looked at the eight tunnels in front of them. It was obvious the best route to choose was a 'fight!' route. Because the 'harsh fight' routes all had 'I wonder what Naruto-San thinks… He's in sage mode? Oh! Naruto-San is probably going to use his senses to find out which tunnels are empty!'

Naruto opened his eyes and pointed towards one of the tunnels. "That one!"

Wendy looked up at Naruto awe. Not only had the shinobi gotten them here first, but he was also able to deduct which route would be the safest! 'Naruto-San really is amazing…'

"I can sense a butt-load of magic power coming from this cave! It's gotta be Gildarts!" Naruto declared and Wendy face-faulted.

"G-G-G-Gildarts-San!? Fairy Tail's most powerful mage!? I thought Naruto-San was looking for the safest route!" Wendy said, surprised that Naruto would deliberately search for the guild's most powerful mage.

"Of course Gildarts! I've been meaning to get back at him for punching me in the jaw." Naruto said while rubbing his chin. "I was thinking about fight Erza… I haven't fought her yet and it sounds like a lot of fun. Oh, and then there's also Mira-Chan! She's actually really strong!"

Wendy stared at the blonde with wide eyes, the advice Naruto had given her before they started training together coming to mind.

 **Flashback…**

"Remember Wendy-Chan, there's no short cuts to becoming strong." Naruto said as he blocked a kick from the little dragon slayer. "In order to become stronger, you have to be aware of your weaknesses. You're ranged attacks and enchantment spells are great! But right now, hand to hand combat and stamina seem to be your weak points."

"Yes… Naruto-San!" Wendy said between gasps, she had her hands on her knees to keep her from falling. Sweat was dripping off her face, she was really pushing herself.

Seeing the girl had reached her limit, Naruto plopped down on the grass. "Let's take a quick break."

"O-okay…" Wendy said and nearly collapsed onto the grass next to her teammate. Her lungs were on fire! Looking at Naruto, she saw the blonde didn't even seem to be winded in the slightest! "How did Naruto-San become so strong…?"

Naruto smiled. "Listen, Wendy-Chan. I was only able to become this strong because of my friends. I used to be dead-last in our class, so I challenged myself so that I wouldn't be left behind!"

Wendy's eyes widened. That's how she felt right now, like she was being left behind the other members in Fairy Tail…

"So that's what I'm going to do for you. I'm going help you challenge yourself! You ready?" Naruto jumped to his feet and reached an arm down to help Wendy up.

Once again, Wendy felt Naruto's words bring forth an energy she didn't know she had inside of her. Grabbing the offered hand, she pulled herself up and got into a fighting stance. "I'm ready!"

* * *

"W-what?" Naruto said nervously when Wendy suddenly started laughing. Did he accidently say something funny?

"S-sorry! It's just…" Wendy regained control of herself and smiled brightly. "That's just so Naruto-San to choose the hardest path."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. "I-is that so…?"

"Yup! The others will probably be here soon, so let's go!" Wendy grabbed onto Naruto's hand and ran into the cave entrance.

That's right. In order for her to become stronger she needed to challenge herself, and Naruto would be right there to support her!

* * *

"Phew! We finally made it...!" Lucy said as she stretched out her sore limbs. 'Stupid Freed and Naruto for putting up those barriers…'

"We are the last pair to arrive because Lucy is such a slow swimmer…" Juvia said with her ever-emotionless face.

Seriously, if Naruto wasn't around Juvia was always like this!

"Well sorry… It's not my fault Aquarias decided to launch me in the opposite direction!" Lucy hissed. When the barriers had finally dispersed, Lucy had summoned Aquarias and asked if the spirit could help them get to the island faster. It was then Aquarias 'accidently' sent Lucy further from the shoreline. She would have been shark food if it weren't for Juvia saving her…

"Pfft…!"

"Did you just laugh!?" Lucy fumed, and the water mage began to walk towards the only remaining cave.

"Shall we go?"

"Why I…" Lucy started before sighing to herself. Did she really make the right decision becoming Juvia's partner? All to save face in front of Naruto? 'Well, I don't really mind helping Juvia become an S-Class mage. She is my friend after all.' The girl could even be considered her best friend in the guild, next to Levy and Naruto of course.

Lucy followed Juvia, and their vision was filled with countless glowing dots that illuminated the cave.

"Ah~ These pretty bugs remind Juvia of glowing crystals in the ancient ruins… Where we shared our first kiss~" Juvia added while looking back at Lucy mischievously.

"Wait, what!?" Lucy shouted, but before she could question her, a mass amount of killer intent filled the cave. "W-what is this…?"

A dark figure stepped forward into the light.

"Hinata?" Lucy said, her hands slowly moving towards her keys. If Hinata was here, then would mean…

"U-umm… Is what you said earlier… true?" The Hyūga asked, her bangs overshadowing her face.

The lighting of the cave gave Hinata an eerie appearance, but Juvia smirked. She had been right about this girl being in love with Naruto. "That is correct. Juvia stole a kiss from Naruto-Sama and declared her love for him! We've even gone on a date!" Although that date had been ruined by-

"Juvia!"

 **CRASH!**

"Sakura-San!?" Lucy whaled as Juvia jumped back to avoid being flattened under the pinkette's heel. "Wait… You're both guarding this path!?"

Sakura glared at Juvia while cracking her fists. "I've come to respect you for what you said to me last week, but you went too far!"

Juvia frowned, she wasn't expecting a second person to show up. It seems their route had been a 'harsh fight'. But in all honesty, Juvia couldn't have hoped for a better matchup. This was the perfect opportunity to show these girls who was best suited to make Naruto happy. "Ready, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded and grabbed onto one of her golden keys. She wasn't too keen on fighting two of Naruto's friends, who were now her friends as well. But if they were here, it meant they had volunteered to help with the exams. "Sorry Hinata… But I already agreed to help Juvia become an S-Class mage, and I'm not about to go back on that promise!"

Hinata's eyes widened, she sounded just like Naruto. 'That's right… Both of these girls are in love with Naruto-Kun…' Hinata slid into her clan's trademark stance. Right leg forward, left leg back. Right arm forward, left arm back. Both palms faced towards her enemies.

'Hinata's serious…' Sakura thought before getting into a stance of her own. She may have decided to do what was best for Naruto, but she truly thought Hinata could make Naruto happy, and vise versa.

This was no longer a 'harsh fight' in the preliminaries. This was a fight for one Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright guys, here are the teams:**

 **Naruto/Wendy**

 **Lucy/Juvia**

 **Natsu/Happy**

 **Gray/Loke**

 **Cana/Lisanna**

 **Levy/Gajeel**

 **Freed/Bickslow**

 **Elfman/Evergreen**

 **Well then, let me what you guys thought!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **Next Chapter: Juvia and Lucy vs Sakura and Hinata!**


	40. Hinata's Feelings

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: 0_0**

* * *

 **Route C…**

Lucy gulped as a single bead of sweat slid down the side of her face. She extremely nervous, scared even. After all, she was just about to fight with two kunoichi.

"Snap out of it, Lucy." Juvia said, not taking her eyes off their opponents. "We can do this, together! For Naruto-Sama!" She declared and initiated the fight by flinging blades of water, and the female ninjas split off in different directions while avoiding the attack.

"I'll take Juvia! It's about time we finished what we started!" Sakura said and started running towards the water mage.

"Juvia is not the same as she was a week ago…" Juvia said and surprised the pinkette by meeting her halfway. Water enveloped both of her hands, and the sound of rushing water filled the cavern.

Juvia wouldn't get hit if her opponent didn't have a chance to attack. That was the plan Juvia had come up with in case she ever had to fight, not just Sakura, but anyone who was capable of harming her at close range.

" **Sea King Dragon's Claws!"**

Sakura brought her hands up to defend against the water, but when it was just inches away from her, her instincts screamed to avoid the swipes and she quickly jump back. 'That was close! I felt like I would have lost my arms if that water touched me!'

"Sakura-San was smart to retreat. The water surrounding Juvia's hands is constantly moving at very high speeds. Had it made contact, it would have cut through Because with enough pressure, water can even cut through steel." Juvia explained before deactivating her magic. Her Sea King Dragon's Claws were like a close-range version of her Water Slicer, but it was mentally exhausting keeping the water pressurized while in combat.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. 'I need to be careful when attacking head on, it'll be game over if I'm hit by those claws.' Since she didn't have any long-ranged jutsu, she just had to outsmart the girl.

Throwing a couple shuriken, Sakura went through a couple hand signs and ran forward.

Juvia scoffed as the shuriken harmlessly passed through her water body. "Don't you remember, Sakura-San? That won't hurt Juvia!"

Sakura merely smirked and soon the two were locked in CQC. The medic ninja jabbed with her left, dodged to the right to avoid a torrent of water, before jabbing again with a chakra infused punched.

Juvia slapped the punch away before swiping with her claws, only this time her attack hit true. Juvia smirked when her claws slashed Sakura on her side.

 **Poof!**

"What!?" Juvia shouted in surprise, before realized what had happed. The substitution technique! How could she forget one of Naruto's techniques? Of course Sakura would know how to do it too! 'No wonder Sakura-San attacked with such confidence!'

But the dragon slayer realized too late as Sakura was already behind her, a chakra infused punch cocked back and ready to knock her into next week.

"Naruto's not here to save you this time! Take this!" Sakura yelled and punched Juvia in the jaw.

 **CRACK!**

"Ow!" Sakura reeled back her back when she hit something hard. She looked at her now throbbing hand in shock, her knuckles were bleeding! 'I'm able to punch through solid rocks… What did Juvia do!?'

Covering the side of Juvia's face, was an orange stone-like material.

"W-what is that…?" Sakura asked as the shell crumpled to the ground. It sort of reminded her of Garra's sand armor.

Juvia grabbed onto Sakura's arm, and her hand became encased in the orange rock. "This is another ability granted to Juvia thanks to Tiamat-San's lacrima. "Sea King Dragon's Armor". It allows Juvia to create coral as strong as steel to protect herself." Juvia explained and brought her other coral-coated fist back.

Sakura caught the fist in her free hand, but hissed when it scraped her palm painfully. The coral was not only hard, but it was rough as well.

"Juvia learned how do create this coral during her training, and learned that Juvia can make the coral any color she wishes too." Juvia said and created a rainbow-colored piece of coral in her hands.

Sakura began to heal her injured fist. "…Then why orange?"

Juvia clasped her cheeks and blushed. "Because orange is Naruto-Sama's favorite color~!"

Sakura sweatdropped. 'How obsessed can this girl be?'

Lucy clenched her keys in her hands as she watched her teammate fight. 'Juvia's really gotten stronger… Can I say the same?' Lucy thought before yelping when Hinata was suddenly in front of her. 'She's fast!'

"I'm sorry, Lucy. But this is a fight I cannot lose!" Hinata said and thrust an open palm at Lucy, aiming for her left shoulder.

The Celestial spirit mage managed to mitigate the damage a bit by jumping back, but the attack was still enough to launch her back a couple feet. After rolling to a stop, Lucy grabbed onto her shoulder and winced. 'Not only is she fast, but she hits hard too!'

Hinata brought a hand and made a single hand seal and activated her doujutsu to amp her precision so she wouldn't miss again. **"Byakugan!"**

Lucy scrambled to her feet when the veins around Hyuga's eyes bulged, giving the girl a fiercer appearance. 'I-I gotta hurry and summon a spirit, or I'm toast!'

Pulling out a golden key, Lucy chanted the summoning spell. **"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"**

Hinata shielded her eyes when a golden light almost blinded her enhanced vision. When the light faded, a humanoid bull wielding an enormous axe now stood in front of Lucy. 'A summon? Is that what Lucy's magic is?'

Taurus turned to face his master, his eyes filled with hearts. "Lucy-San in a swimsuit is amazing as always! It's the bes-Guh!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow when her spirit suddenly gasped. "Taurus?"

"Cats…" Taurus muttered, his eyes wide.

"Cats?" Following the bull's line of sight, Lucy found where he was looking. She found Juvia and Sakura on the ground, each struggling to get the upper hand. But it was difficult for them because they were both covered in mud. Juvia's water magic had turned their side of the cave into a muddy mess.

"Let go, you bitch! Now we're covered in mud!" Sakura shouted and tried to push Juvia into the ground, but her hands slipped and she fell into the mud again.

"It's Sakura-San's fault for tackling Juvia!" Juvia shot back and tried to punch Sakura while she was down, only to slip in the mud as well and fall on top of the girl.

'What are they doing…?' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop as her spirit cheered the two girls on.

"Cat fights in mud are the best!" Taurus declared, steam blowing out of his nose.

"T-that's quite an indecent summon…" Hinata said with a frown and turned away from the perverted bull while covering her chest with her hands.

"S-sorry…" Lucy said before she pointed forward with authority. "Alright Taurus, this is an important battle! We need to win this!"

Taurus grinned at his master's confidence. "That's mooooore like it!"

'Here he comes…!' Hinata thought when the bull spirit charged forward, his axe held high. She slid to the left as the weapon hit the floor, but she was surprised when the ground exploded from the sheer power behind the swing. Rocks and debris were launched at her, but she was able to destroy them with the gentle fist with precision with the help of her Byakugan.

'Now's my chance!' Lucy thought and ran behind Hinata while the girl was distracted. "Lucy Kic-Wah!"

To the spirit mage's surprise, Hinata spun around and redirected her into an equally surprised Taurus.

But they didn't even have time to recover when Hinata was upon them once more. In what looked to be two quick movements, Hinata fired off a flurry of gentle fists at the recovering mage and her spirit.

"Lucy-San-Grah!" Taurus yelled and managed to push his master out of the way, which left him completely vulnerable.

Hinata's attack was swift. She jabbed all over Taurus' body with her chakra covered fingertips, all in a matter of a few seconds.

When Lucy recovered, her eyes went wide when Taurus disappeared in a flash of golden light. "Taurus-Guh…" Lucy pick herself up, but found her left arm was not responding. "W-what…?"

"My clan uses a form of close-quarters combat called the Gentle Fist." Hinata said when she saw the surprised look on Lucy's face. "It's a technique that uses chakra to inflict internal damage. Even though you don't have a chakra system, I can still use the gentle fist to attack your nervous system." The Hyūga heiress explain and prepared to attack again. Hinata had only been able to hit Lucy's arm because Taurus had protected her.

"No way…" Lucy said as she struggled to get up with her one good arm. 'I won't stand a chance if I get hit again… Oh no, here she comes!'

As Hinata charged forward once more, Lucy grabbed a key and summoned another spirit. This stopped Hinata in her tracks as she was once again blinded temporarily by the golden light that was Lucy's celestial spirit magic.

'I-I made it…!' Lucy thought and sighed in relief.

When Hinata's vision returned, she saw the new summon was another human-like spirit. This time it was a girl with long pink hair and horns on top of her head. She was wearing an outfit that very much looked like a sheep's wool. Hinata wondered if this new spirit was like that perverted bull.

"I'm s-sorry… For blinding you…" Aries stuttered timidly as she squirmed under Hinata's intense gaze.

Hinata blinked. Much like her, this spirit was very shy. Shaking her head, Hinata lunged forward.

Aries lifted her hand, and Hinata's eyes widened when she saw a concentration of light which she assumed was magic gather in the girl's palm. **"Wool Shot!"**

The ram-girl fired off a barrage of body-sized cotton balls

Hinata readied herself before she struck the cotton balls with her gentle fist, destroying each and every one of them upon contact.

Both spirit and master alike were shocked at this. Was this girl invincible!?

Hinata frowned as she looked at her hands. She had successfully negated the enemy's attacks.

But…

"My hands feel… good?"

"O-oh no! My wool magic had no effect! I-I'm s-so sorry~!" Aries cried as she all but begged Lucy for forgiveness.

"I-it's okay, Aries! You tried your best! That's all I could ever I ask for!" Lucy said and pat the girl's head, before her spirit disappeared. 'I'm starting to run out of magic power… I can probably only summon two more spirits at best!' She thought and looked at her limp arm. 'I need to end this as soon as possible…'

* * *

 **Route E…**

"Sounds like some of the other teams are fighting now." Naruto said as he and Wendy walked through the well-lit cave. Their route had been surprisingly long, maybe the person they were fighting was at the end?

"I can smell the exit!" Wendy said as they entered a large dome-like cavern. Light could be seen on the other side. However, what stood between them and the exit was none other than Gildarts Clive.

The man instantly perked up upon noticing them.

"Oh! You're finally here!" Gildarts said before his eyes narrowed on Naruto. "Hey, you're the brat that turned me orange!"

Naruto grinned. "That's right! Now I'm gonna pay you back for sending me through the roof! I had to drink with Cana for two hours because of that…" Not that he saying he hated being around the brunette, he just wasn't a huge fan of alcohol.

"Cana? You know, I haven't really seen her around all that much since I got back. But man, she turned out to be a real beauty!" Gildarts said while rubbing his chin gleefully.

* * *

"Achoo!" Cana sneezed before a shiver ran down her spine.

"You didn't catch a cold from the swim, did you Cana?" Lisanna asked worriedly. They had just started walking down the route they chose, and it was a little chilly in the cave since they were only wearing swimsuits.

Cana shook her head. "I'm fine… It just felt like someone was talking about me, and I get the feeling it was really really wrong…" Something about that feeling made her want to punch that old man of hers.

Lisanna raised an eyebrow, but dismissed the thought as they neared an entrance to what looked like ancient ruins.

* * *

 **Back With Naruto…**

Naruto raised an eyebrow. That was odd. By the way Cana had always referred to Gildarts, he assumed they were on good terms. By good terms, he meant her laughing and joking about him whenever they talked about pranking the man of course.

"But anyways… Before we get started, let me warn you both." Gildarts crossed his arms and looked at the two hard. "I'm not good at going easy on people."

Wendy gulped nervously, they were about to face Fairy Tail's strongest member. But all her worries washed away when she saw Naruto look down at her and grin, as if he was saying "Don't worry, we got this!".

But the girl's newfound confidence shattered in an instant when Gildarts flared his magic power, and the ground underneath him cracked from the pressure. Even Naruto found himself choking on the utter amount of energy coming from the man in front of them.

"A-ah…!" Wendy's legs gave out and she fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes.

'I guess Wendy-Chan's reached her limit…' Naruto said and activated sage mode. Creating a single clone, he knelt next to the little girl. "This guy's gonna protect you while I'm gone, you wait here. Okay, Wendy-Chan?"

The clone pat the little girl on the head and grinned. "The old man is gonna need some healing when the boss is done with him!"

Wendy managed a weak smile, and wiped the tears streaming her cheeks. She was ashamed of herself. Ashamed that she couldn't help Naruto, even when he was right there with her. But this level of power was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was just on a whole other level.

Gildarts grinned. He felt sorry for the kid, but the fact that Naruto was able to keep his cool even after he flared his magic impressed him. 'It's hard to believe this brat is from another dimension. But one thing's for sure. He's got potential.'

"You may have gotten me by surprise last time, old man. I'm going all out from the start!" Naruto and started walking forward. "I said this last time, but I'll say it again… I challenge you-" In a burst of speed, Naruto appeared in front of Gildarts.

Gildarts' eyes shot open and he barely managed to bring his arms up to block a punch, which forced him to slide back a couple a couple feet.

"-For the title of the strongest!" Naruto shouted with a grin on his face.

Gildarts lowed his now steaming arms to show that he too was grinning. This new member really reminded him of Natsu. "I accept your challenge, kid!"

* * *

 **Fight Route B/H…**

Gajeel laughed, and it echoed throughout the cave. "Alright! Now we're talking! Two members of the Thunder God Tribe!"

Levy on the other hand, was sweating bullets. She didn't stand a chance against these two!

Noticing his teammate's nervousness, he chopped her on the head. "What did I tell you for we started? Just sit back and let me take care of the fighting! Gihihi!"

"That's quite a lot of confidence you have there, Gajeel…" Freed said while his partner bellowed with laughter.

"Big talk for someone who ran away! Kyahaha!"

Gajeel smiled wildly. It didn't matter what they said, he was going to kick their asses! 'I didn't go through all that training with 'that' person to lose to the likes of these two!'

"Maybe we should just… Hey!" Levy yelled when Gajeel broke into a sprint towards their opponents. "Jeez… He just does what he wants, doesn't he?"

* * *

 **Harsh Fight Route D…**

"Why… Out of all the routes, we run into her!" Cana said while sweating bullets.

"Do not falter here, Cana! Come at me with your all! I will be the judge whether you are ready to be S-Class or not!" Erza declared and swiped her sword through the air.

Cana gulped. It was over. She had to go and choose the route with the strongest female mage in the guild. They stood no chance in a straight up fight!

"Hey, Cana… I got a plan!" Lisanna whispered to her teammate, who raised an eyebrow. The white-haired girl then looked at Erza, a bead of sweat running down her face. 'Don't worry Cana! I may have asked to be your partner to see if you really liked Naruto-San, but I was telling the truth when I said I'd help make you an S-Class mage!'

* * *

 **Fight Route F/G…**

Gray and Loke stood in front of Elfman and Evergreen.

"Truthfully, I kinda hoping to run into Naruto. But it's been awhile since we last fought, Elfman." Gray said as the air around him dropped in temperature.

"Naruto-San is a man whom we all don't want to lose too." Elfman said and transformed his arm that of a beast's.

"You're looking just as beautiful as ever, Evergreen." Loke said with a short bow, and his hands began to glow with a golden light.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Loke." Evergreen responded with a haughty attitude.

* * *

 **Harsh Route A…**

"Naruto! Show yourself!" Natsu called out as he ran through the cave.

"Why do you think Naruto will be in this route, Natsu?" Happy asked as he followed his partner in the air.

"Because Naruto told me he never got an A in the ninja academy."

Happy faltered in his flight. 'What kind of logic is that!?'

They soon found themselves outside, on a beach just outside of a forest. A single person stood in the middle of the sand.

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who it was, his blood pumping faster through his veins in excitement. "Lee!"

'We're screwed!' Happy thought as the bushy-browed teen took notice to them and smiled widely.

"I must thank Mira-San later for letting me switch places with her… Because now we will be able to put our flames of youth to the test, Natsu-Kun!" Rock Lee declared and got into his stance. One arm forward, and the other behind his back, the green clad ninja begged the dragon slayer to come. His weights had already been taken off, having promised to take the fight seriously.

This was an exam that could be considered equivalent to their chunin exams after all.

'Mira was supposed to be here!? We were screwed either way!' Happy withered to the ground. Out of all the times the two had fought over their week of training, not once was Natsu wasn't able to attain a single victory. Rock Lee's hand to hand combat and speed were just too much for Natsu at his current level.

Natsu smashed his fists together. "This time I'll win!"

* * *

"L-Lucy… Are you perhaps not taking this fight seriously?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow. She had just finished an exchange with a crab-like summon that used scissors, and it even managed to snip a bit of her hair off, but she couldn't help but question the quirky natures of the girl's summons. Hinata meant Lucy and her summons no disrespect by any means, but this would be considered a joke back in the Elemental Nations.

"O-of course I am! Cancer, get back!" Lucy shouted, her cheeks burning. She then started running towards Juvia. Since she didn't have Leo available, she would have to rely on her other trump card.

'I don't know what you're up to Lucy, but I won't just let escape!' Hinata thought and gave chase.

"Juvia!" Lucy shouted, getting her partner's attention.

Juvia and Sakura currently had their hands locked together while bashing their foreheads together, both growling menacingly as they each tried to push the other away. Upon hearing her teammate's voice, Juvia looked to her side and saw Lucy running towards her with a key.

'So that's Lucy's plan…' Juvia thought and turned her body into water, causing Sakura to fall face-first into the mud. The water mage reformed herself and started running towards Lucy, her hand out stretched.

A rather large tick-mark formed on Sakura's forehead. That was the last straw, she was done playing around. "SHANNARO!"

Hinata's eyes widened when she heard Sakura's anger-filled yell, and quickly jumped and attached herself to the ceiling.

Just as Juvia's hand was about to reach Lucy's key, the were lifted off the ground by a tremor that shook the entire cave.

"What's going on!?" Lucy cried as the ground around them shattered like glass, creating a massive hole in the middle of the cavern. The two mages then hit the ground and were buried underneath a pile of rock and mud.

Sakura stood in the middle of the crater-sized hole, breathing heavily as she tried to quell her anger.

Hinata dropped down from the ceiling next to the girl. "A-are you okay, Sakura-San?"

"Yeah… I'm fine. But I don't think it's over yet." Sakura responded and the two kunoichi watched the pile of rocks with keen eyes.

"Here they come!" Hinata said and they were surprised when a bunch of water burst from the rocks, flinging the rubble everywhere.

But the water didn't stop flowing and Sakura and Hinata were forced to jump onto the surface as it filled the hole. What surprised them further was when golden light shined underneath the surface, and two blue haired women rose to the surface.

"Be careful, Sakura-San. That's probably one of Lucy's summons." Hinata warned her fellow ninja as Juvia and the mermaid stood on the surface of the water. "They have quirky personalities, but are strangely powerful."

"Oh~ Hi Juvia-Chan! I've missed you~!" Aquarius and brought her little sister-figure into a bone crushing hug. She then released the girl and stared at her with a serious face. "How are things going with Naruto?"

Juvia clasped her cheeks and wiggled around. "W-we… We kissed!"

Aquarius squealed with joy. "Oh~ I'm so happy for you! That boy better make you happy… Or I'll beat the living snot out of him!"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. 'Don't they know we're in the middle of a fight here…?'

Lucy's head popped out of the water and she gasped for air. "Bwah! I almost drowned! You could have helped me to the surface you know!" The blonde raged, but quickly found herself ignored. "Hey! What are you guys doing!? We're fighting here!"

"Shut it, squirt!" Aquarius snapped, and Lucy zipped her lips. "Sheesh, it's no wonder you can't get a boyfriend…"

'What does that have to do with anything…' Lucy silently fumed to herself.

Her temper flaring again, Sakura threw her hands up in the air. "God! Fighting you is such a headache! Are you going to take this fight seriously or not!"

"Who's the washboard?" Aquarius said, and Sakura ground her teeth in anger.

A light bulb appeared above Juvia's head and the girl pointed an accusing finger at the two ninja. "Those two are trying to steal Naruto-Sama from Juvia!"

Lucy beamed. 'Nice, Juvia!'

"Ahn? Say what now?" Aquarius glared at the two ninjas. "You girls best stay away from Juvia-Chan's man!

"That is something I cannot do!" Hinata said defiantly, surprising her pink haired friend.

"Juvia…"

The mermaid seemed taken aback from the straightforward answer. "W-well… Then we'll just have to beat some sense into you! Come on Juvia-Chan!" Aquarius swung her urn, causing the water around them to swirl.

"Right!" Juvia said and used her magic to lift the water and together, they created a massive vortex.

Sakura and Hinata had no chance of escaping the rushing water and were swept off their feet.

"Wah!" Lucy cried as she held onto Juvia's legs to keep herself from being pulled into the powerful unison raid.

When the water settled, Juvia drained the water from the cave and sent it into the ground.

"We… We did it!" Lucy said, a wide grin spreading across her face. Through some miracle, they had managed to defeat Sakura and Hinata!

"Thank you, Aquarius-San." Juvia said and bowed to the older woman.

"Anytime you need me, just give me a call." Aquarius said as she began to disappear. But before she was entirely gone, she winked. "Good luck, Juvia-Chan!"

'You should be telling me that…' Lucy thought with a sweatdrop. But her thoughts were interrupted by a series of coughs. "No way! That wasn't enough!?"

The mages turned and found Hinata in her stance, but she seemed to be struggling. Her Byakugan was no longer active, she was panting heavily, and her legs looked like they would give out any moment.

Sakura was struggling to get up as well, but she just couldn't find the strength. Getting thrashed around by torrents of water did that to people.

"It hurts…" Hinata began, and all eyes were on her. Friend and foe. "It hurts to see Naruto-Kun having so much fun with other girls… Being teased by other girls." She looked up and frowned sadly. "Kissing other girls…"

"Hinata…" Lucy said, and she was stricken by a flash of guilt. They were in love with the same person, and this is what she feared the most because of that.

"But I won't give up!" Hinata shouted as her lips began to quiver, tears forming in her eyes. "B-because… That's m-my ninja way t-too…" She said before collapsing to her knees from exhaustion. "W-why… Why can't I get him to look at me like you two…"

Sakura looked down sadly, tears forming in her eyes as well. Her friend's heart was breaking right in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not a single thing.

"Because Hinata-San hardly says anythi-Mmff!" Juvia started, but was muffled by a hand.

Lucy sent her teammate a hard stare, and Juvia had the decency to look away awkwardly.

"I would always see the way he looks at you… both of you, and it scared me. I was scared because deep down, I believe Naruto-Kun would be happier here with you…" Hinata said, surprising them both.

"W-what?" Lucy asked, a blush growing on her face. Naruto looked at her in 'that way'? Since when!?

"He loves you both, even if he doesn't know it…" Hinata said and smiled sadly. "I learned that Naruto-Kun doesn't know the difference between loving your friends, and romantic love. You see, I confessed my feelings to him once."

"Eh!?" Both Lucy and Juvia screamed at the same time.

Hinata nodded. "Konoha was under attack by the Akatsuki. The village had been completely destroyed and Naruto-Kun showed up to defend it. The leader of the Akatsuki was about to take him away and I recklessly jumped in to save him…"

Lucy's eyes widened. Someone that was strong enough to subdue and capture Naruto, and Hinata had willingly attacked them. Even if it meant throwing her life away, she wanted to protect the one she loved.

"I told Naruto-Kun that I loved him, and when I was defeated he had gone berserk in rage… After it was all over, Naruto-Kun thanked me for trying to save him…" Hinata continued, the memories of Pain's attack fresh on her mind.

"But he didn't understand what you meant…" Lucy finished, and Hinata nodded somberly.

Juvia frowned. To tell the one you loved your truest feelings, and for them to think you meant it as friendship. That had to hurt. Juvia would have been devastated if Naruto had misunderstood her confession, she could only imagine what Hinata must be going through.

'Naruto… You idiot…' Lucy thought as tears formed in her eyes. She was going to have a long talk with her partner when they got back home.

"That's why I envy you two." Hinata said, and the mages looked up in surprise. "You live in the same apartment, and even if you're not together, you still get to see him all the time. When I see you two walking together, you just look so natural. It feels like he's getting farther away from me…"

"Y-you don't have to say anymore!" Lucy stammered, but the Hyūga shook her head.

"When we had our conversation that day in the forest, I realized." Hinata looked at Lucy right in the eyes, her expression was sharp with resolution. "I realized that you are the only person who can truly make Naruto-Kun happy, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widened. "W-w-what!? M-me!?" She stammered before pointing at Juvia, who was staggered from what Hinata had just said. "W-what about Juvia? She already confessed to him! You said he loved her too, right?"

To everyone's surprise, Hinata started giggling.

"S-sorry…! But that's just what I'm talking about." Hinata said and giggled a couple more times. "I heard all about you from Mira-San. About how you bottle up your feelings for the sake of others. Even now, you just tried to convince me that Juvia was the better one for Naruto, for her sake." Hinata smiled. "When I heard this, it reminded me so much of Naruto-Kun…"

Juvia looked at Lucy with wide eyes. Naruto would live the rest of his life miserable, if it meant keeping everyone he loved happy. If what Hinata said was true, then what Lucy was doing to herself was no different. 'Juvia has only been thinking about herself… While Lucy…'

"That kindness, is exactly what Naruto-Kun needs. A kind person who wants to bring people together with all their heart, like he does." Hinata said before she felt her consciousness start to fade, and she fell to her side. The battle, their conversation, had taken its toll on her body.

"I…" Lucy looked down at the ground, Hinata had seen right through her. All this time, she just wanted everyone to be happy and keep having fun together forever, even if it meant She had decided to refrain from telling Naruto how she felt because she knew the amount of tension it would create amongst their group. If she confessed to Naruto, and he accepted her feelings, what would become of their group? Juvia, Mira, Cana, Wendy, and maybe even Erza… She didn't want to lose them all!

But now Hinata was telling her to be true to herself and confess? And not just for not just her own sake, but for Naruto's sake as well? Lucy just didn't understand it at all!

"Lucy, the gate opened. We can now advance." Juvia suddenly said and started walking towards the exit.

"O-okay…" Lucy said and followed her teammate and tried to look at the girl's face, but found that it was shadowed over. She wanted to know what the water mage thought of it all, but she was too afraid to ask. After all, the one who was probably shocked the most between the two of them was Juvia.

As Lucy and Juvia left the cavern, Sakura slowly sat up. She crawled over to her friend and began to look for any injuries.

"Hinata… Are you really fine with this?" Sakura asked, but got no response. She saw the girl's form begin to tremble, and it brought tears the pinkette's eyes. 'Oh Hinata…'

Hinata stared at the walls of the cave as she silently sobbed to herself, her memories of Naruto replaying in her head. She only shared a few moments with him, but they meant the world to her.

Because he had saved her.

All her life, Hinata felt worthless because she couldn't live up to her clan's expectations. But after seeing Naruto, who had it far worse than she did, and how he would always walk with a smile… That smile of his had inspired her to give it her all. That's why Hinata vowed to make Naruto happy.

Even if that person to make him happy wasn't her.

* * *

 **A/N: What demon possessed me to write such a sad scene!? T~T**

 **I know some of you are going to be upset, but Hinata will not be joining the harem. Please know that this was a very hard decision for me to make… For I was on the NaruHina ship while the Naruto series was still ongoing. But I decided to go this route because The Fox Scroll is in fact a crossover fic, and is a story about Naruto being changed by the Fairy Tail Universe. Sadly, Hinata will not be a part of this change.**

 **I hope my fellow NaruHina fans can understand. :(**

 **On a happier note, Naruto manages to move Gildarts with a single punch! Their fight will be finished in the next chapter, and then off to finally meet Mavis in person! Er-in ghost…? Meh, whatever! XD**

 **Let me know if you guys want to see any of the other fights! Otherwise I'll just skip straight to their outcomes as they're not all too important to the story. :3**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in next Chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	41. Title of Strongest

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: 1,000 Reviews! Thank you for all of your support! :D**

* * *

 **CRACK!**

Naruto's fist made contact with his opponent, neither moving an inch from where they stood. Gildarts now had a better idea of what he was dealing with, and wasn't going to allow the brat the satisfaction of moving him from his spot a second time.

 **BOOM!**

Their fists clashed again and the whole cave shook from the shockwave they created.

Wendy held her hands over her head from debris as she watched the two strongest members of Fairy Tail exchange blows. Neither had moved from where they stood for a couple minutes now, as they were locked in hand to hand combat. Both trying to knock the other out of their position.

'I can't believe how strong this geezer is…! He punches harder than Sakura-Chan!' Naruto thought as he blocked another blow that aimed for his side. He could tell the man had a lot of fighting experience because of the way the man was able to read most of his moves. 'If that's how it's gonna be, then I better take it up a notch!'

Gildarts' eyes widened when Naruto picked up his pace, easily doubling his speed. The sudden pressure became too much for Gildarts and he was forced a step back. He grunted in pain when Naruto successfully landed a blow to his stomach. 'Guh… He pushed me back again. I can read this brat's moves, but it doesn't help me if I can't move fast enough.'

Naruto pumped a mental fist at his mini-victory, but immediately sprang into action once more. The battle wasn't over from just that.

Gildarts sucked his teeth when the teen wasted no time to charge him from the front, but his eyes widened when he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Looking back, he saw another Naruto that he assumed was a clone. 'When did make a clone!?'

The real Naruto put his hands in a cross-shaped hand seal and two more clones popped into existence next to him.

Gildarts managed to break free of the clone's grip, but he wasn't fast enough as the first clone slid to the ground and launched Gildarts into the air by kicking him in the chin through his frantic guard. The second clone jumped off the back of the first clone and punched the man further into the air.

While Gildarts was staggered and suspended in the air, the real Naruto used the two clones like stepping stools and jumped above the mage. Gildarts raised his arms and blocked a spinning kick from the original, but he was sent hurdling down into the ground from weight that came from the attack.

 **CRASH!**

When Gildarts hit the ground, the entire cave seemed to itself as the rocks shattered into cubes.

Naruto shielded his eyes as the dust blew past him, his clones disappearing from the shockwave. When he landed on the ground turned towards Wendy and sighed in relief to see that she his clone had protected her. Looking back at his opponent, his eyes widened when Gildarts stood up. The cloak that was covering the man's body was now gone, showing his artificial limbs.

"Whew~ That was a close one! If I didn't use my magic to soften my fall, that would have really hurt." Gildarts said as he cracked his neck. He then blinked when he noticed the look Naruto was sending him. "Ah, are you wondering how I got these?"

Naruto nodded, curious as to what could have injured a man as powerful as Gildarts so badly.

"A dragon."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he turned his gaze to Wendy. The little girl had been raised by a dragon until her foster parent suddenly disappeared. Surely this would be news for her.

"W-what color was the dragon?" Wendy asked meekly. She doubted it was Grandeeny, there was no way her kind mother would have harmed a human. But she just had to ask…

"It was a black dragon. The bastard took my arm, leg, and an organ…" Gildarts said sourly. He heard there were other dragon slayers in the guild now, so that was why he had only wanted to tell Natsu this information. But there was no helping it now.

Naruto frowned when Wendy nodded solemnly, he could tell that had brought up some old wounds for the girl. So thinking it would be best to change subjects, Naruto put his hands back into his favorite seal. "Ready for round two?"

Gildarts grunted, but nodded nonetheless and got into a loose fighting stance. He couldn't afford to hold back, not against this kid. "Normally I would have just let you pass with this… But I want to see this fight to the end myself."

Naruto smirked and created four more clones. He then looked at the now cubic ground in thought. 'I gotta see what else that guy's magic can do before I just run in again…' From the looks of things, Gildarts used his magic to shatter things, as he used it to shatter the ground to soften his landing. But that couldn't be the only thing he could do with it, so Naruto was going to find out.

The clones charged forward in a horizontal line before splitting up at the last second.

Gildarts caught the fist of the first clone before throwing it into the second clone. The third clone grabbed onto the fourth clone and threw him into the air. The clone in the air began to throw shuriken down at them, while making sure not to hit its fellow clone. The grounded clone then charged at Gildarts while he was busy deflecting the sharp objects and attempted to tackle him. But when he made contact, Gildarts didn't so much as budge from his spot.

The fourth clone saw this and decided to throw an explosive tag before popping out of existence.

Gildarts made short work of the clone attached to him before he heard a hissing noise. Looking down, he saw the burning tag of paper attached to a kunai before it blew up.

 **BOOM!**

Naruto began to tap random places on his body as his opponent was engulfed in the flames of the explosion, he knew the fight wasn't over with just that.

'Let's see how he deals with this…!' Just as Naruto thought, the fire shattered into cubes before dissolving into nothingness, revealing Gildarts with an annoyed look on his face.

Gildarts was about to pester Naruto when he heard something above him, as well as noticing the cave now had a bluish tinge to it. Looking up, the smoke from the explosion faded away to reveal a small army of Narutos, all armed with glowing blue swirls of energy in their hands. "…Well fuck."

At the sound of the man's voice, the clones dropped from the ceiling and fell towards the man with their Rasengans pointed downwards.

Gildarts pumped magic into his arm and blasted the clones away with his Crash magic. The entire army, along with the roof of the cave, was wiped out and shattered into small cubes.

Sunlight now filled the cave.

Gildarts turned around when he heard a shout. He saw Naruto, now clad in orange armor, flying towards him with a speed that thoroughly surprised him. 'He's even faster now!?'

" **Dark Ecrture: Absolute Shadow!"** Naruto shouted and disappeared from Gildarts' visage.

Before Gildarts could even register where the shinobi had gone, he staggered forward from a blow to his back. He blasted his Crash magic to his right, but found that he nothing and was attacked once again from the opposite side. 'I've never fought someone as fast as this kid before! I gotta find a way to slow him down or I'm done!'

"Getting tired yet?"

Gildarts found Naruto standing across the cavern, the same blue sphere in his right hand. "Heh… I'll admit your fast, but I'm not done yet!"

Naruto smirked from underneath his mask, before he launched himself forward.

Gildarts whirled around and stopped the Rasengan with his hand. He couldn't see it, but he could tell Naruto was surprised that he was stopped. "The same trick won't work on me twice, kid!"

Using his magic, Gildarts shattered the Rasengan, causing Naruto to stagger forward. He then used that time to thrust his fist into the teen's armored gut, shattering the armor and launching him back. But when the armor covering Naruto's face shattered, Gildarts then saw that teen was smirking.

Right when Naruto hit the cave wall, dozens of clones burst through the ground and threw themselves at Gildarts, all armed with the glowing blue spheres in their hands.

'In the ground!? When did he-' Gildarts thought as he tried to blast them away with his magic, but he was only able to shatter a handful of clones before the rest hit him with their attacks. Gildarts was consumed in multiple blue explosions before he was implanted into a wall.

Wendy gasped as both men were embedded in the cave walls.

Naruto grunted as he pulled himself out of the wall and deactivated Sage Mode, but he was instantly on alert again when Gildarts started pulling himself out of the wall as well. 'That still wasn't enough!?'

Before the teen could act again, Gildarts put a hand up. "Relax, kid. This fight is over."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as Wendy ran up to Gildarts to see check on his injuries. She had so much she wanted to say to Naruto right now, but her duties as a healer came first.

Letting the girl heal his wounds with her healing magic, Gildarts took a seat on the ground and sighed. "Damn… Looks like this is my loss. Where'd you learn to use those clones like that?"

"Wait, what!? No way! We should finish this fight to see who's the strongest!" Naruto shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the man, which sound rather childish considering what had just taken place.

Gildarts blinked before he bellowed with laughter, prompting Naruto to burn red with anger as he thought the man was making fun of him. "Hahaha! You're just like Natsu, you know that? I'm sure he would say the same thing! I wonder how that brat is doing with his fight…"

Naruto sulked to himself. He couldn't help it if the man didn't want to fight anymore.

Seeing the frustration on Naruto's face, Gildarts grinned. If he was being honest with himself, Gildarts wanted to finish his fight with the ninja as well. But the cave, and maybe even a good portion of the island would probably be destroyed. "Listen Naruto, I'm gonna tell you what I think of you right now as a fighter. An assessment of sorts."

This sparked Naruto's curiosity, so he nodded and walked over to the man so he could hear him better.

"You're strong, fast, and tricky as hell with those clones. You've more than proven that you can fight like an S-Class mage. But fighting isn't everything. Sometimes when you're out on a job you'll need to think like an S-Class mage, and thinking outside of battle doesn't seem to be your forte…" Gildarts said and Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Naruto-San is plenty smart!" Wendy said and clamped her mouth shut when she realized she said that aloud. Blushing when the two boys sent her amused looks, Wendy looked down in an embarrassment.

Naruto chuckled and pat the girl on the affectionately. "Thanks Wendy-Chan, but Gildarts is right. As frustrating as it is, I know I not the sharpest kunai in the shed when it comes to things that aren't fighting. But that's why I train as hard as can to be good at the one thing I'm good at. Fighting!"

Gildarts chuckled at the scene. "But you certainly are a charismatic one. If all the rumors I heard about you are true, you might actually surpass me in that department one day if not already."

"Rumors?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow and Wendy snapped out of her embarrassment and waved her arms back and forth.

"Wahaha! They're just rumors about how you can make friends with anyone!" Wendy said, stretching the truth about the rumors claiming Naruto could make any girl fall in love with him.

Gildarts raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you talkin about kid? I'm talking about how this guy's been playing with a buncha cuties-Mmmff!"

As Wendy silenced and told Gildarts about Lucy and how she got when people talked about the Weekly Sorcerer's magazine, Naruto folded his arms and sighed in defeat. It was probably best that they stopped. Looking around, he cringed when he saw the resulting destruction of their fight. The cave was in ruins, if you could even call it a cave anymore. "Old man Makarov is gonna kill me…"

 _Route E Winner: Team Naruto_

* * *

"We… We did it!" Levy cheered as she panted for breath. Though she hadn't been much help in the actual fight, she and Gajeel had managed to defeat Freed and Bickslow. "But you really are something, Gajeel…"

"I told you… Didn't I? I won't lose to anyone before I reach that guy…" Gajeel growled before he looked at the members of the Thunder God Tribe. 'But still… these guys really were tough. I hate to admit it, but I probably would have been in trouble had the girl not given me that iron snack with her magic…' Gajeel thought before walking towards now open exit.

"H-hey, wait for me!" Levy said and caught up to her partner.

 _Route B/H Winner: Team Levy_

* * *

 **Route A…**

Natsu gasped for breath as he lay in the grass, having just been kicked to the chest and knocked back. He was tired, but also frustrated. Every time he charged in, the outcome was the outcome would be the same. Him falling flat on his ass.

Lee stood on the other side of the field, his leg outstretched. Going back into his stance, Lee called out to his opponent. "Surely you wish to continue, Natsu-Kun?"

"Damn right it isn't!" Natsu growled and pulled himself back up.

"Natsu…" Happy said as he watched the battle from the beach. Most of the trees around them had been scorched by the dragonslayer's flames, so the safest place to be was near the water.

Natsu threw himself at Lee once more, and was again countered and sent flying back on his back with a kick. Punching the ground in frustration, Natsu clenched his teeth and cursed. Not ONCE had he landed a hit on Lee. The ninja countered his every move, he was too fast for him to hit with his magic, and strong enough to block the attacks he didn't dodge.

As much as Natsu hated to admit it, Rock Lee completely outclassed him in hand to hand combat.

Lee grinned when Natsu stood up again. 'This is the twenty-seventh time Natsu-Kun has gotten back up… his stubbornness truly reminds me of Naruto-Kun.'

Flames erupted from Natsu's hands as he charged head-on again. But this time, he had a small plan in mind. Natsu initiated with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist and as expected, when the shinobi deflected the punch with the swipe of his hand, fire exploded from Natsu's heel and he launched a spinning kick similar to Lee's Leaf Hurricane from where he stood, a movement that would have been impossible without his magic.

Lee was taken by surprise by the kick and took the full force of the attack. He grunted when Natsu's heel hit him square in the chest, but he grabbed onto the leg and threw Natsu across the field. Lee looked at his cindered chunin vest and took it off. "Impressive. That surely would have been a devastating blow had this been the beginning of our battle and you were rested."

"W-who's tired?" Natsu asked with a weak smirk, feigning exhaustion as he struggled to stand. He was tired, battered, and low on magic… But he was smiling. 'I managed to land a hit that time! I can do this!'

Before Natsu could charge forward again, however, Lee placed a hand up.

"Please wait a moment."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What is it?"

"Before we continue this fight, I wish to ask you a question." Lee said before looking Natsu in the eye. "Why do you wish to grow stronger? What drives you to push yourself so far as to getting back countless times?" This was a question Lee had been wondering during the past week of training together.

Natsu lowered his head. "A long time ago… My father disappeared. So I want to become stronger, so I can find him!" Natsu declared before charging forward for the umpteenth time. "And the first step is becoming an S-Class mage! So that's why I'm going to win this fight!"

"That is very admirable of you, Natsu-Kun. But…" Lee started before disappearing in a blur.

Natsu skid to a stop and looked around for the missing shinobi, before his eyes widened when a heel made contact with his chin. "Gah!"

While the teen was suspended in the air, time seemed to slow down. Natsu could sense Lee behind him and helplessly watched as bandages wrapped around his entire body. 'I can't... Move!'

Lee grabbed onto Natsu's bandaged form and they began to spin as they fell back towards the earth in a piledrive formation.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled and began to fly in to help his friend, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time. 'He's gonna break Natsu's neck with that attack!'

Natsu's eyes widened in terror as the ground neared. He couldn't move because of how tired he was, and so could he burn through the cloth because he also lacked the magic to do so. This was it. He was going to die.

Happy watched as they crashed into the ground. He fell to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. "No way…"

"Guh… Wha-? Huh?" Natsu said and his eyes shot open. He was laying in grass, still covered in bandages like a cocoon. He looked up and saw Lee looking down at him, his serious expression ever so present.

"I'm afraid your level of taijutsu is not enough to defeat me at this moment. But…" Lee said before giving the teen a thumbs up and grinning, his teeth sparkling. "I would be honored to be your sparring partner anytime, should you need one!"

"Lee…" Natsu said before deadpanning. "You're really weird, you know that?"

Lee face-faltered, but quickly straightened himself and cleared his throat. "W-well anyways, I approve of your skill in becoming S-Class. Your combat skill is definitely worthy!"

"Thank goodness…" Happy said and plopped on his butt while letting out a sigh of relief. Lee had stopped his attack at the last second, and Happy assumed it was a clear showing of the difference in their skill. Lee may not have the explosive power that Natsu had with his Dragonslayer magic, but he was leagues faster, and far more experienced in hand to hand combat. That's the conclusion Happy had come to while watching the fight.

Natsu stared up at the sky, a frown on his face. This wasn't the kind of victory he had wanted, but he would take this battle to heart as Lee had shown him that power wasn't the only thing that mattered.

"Pfft…!"

"Huh?" Natsu found Happy standing on top of him, his hands over him mouth.

"Natsu looks like an angry caterpillar waiting to become a butterfly…" Happy said and even Lee was laughing now, picturing the same scene in his head.

Natsu bubbled with anger before he burst out of his "cocoon" with newfound energy. But unfortunately for him, the flames made it look like he had wings.

"Ahaha! Now he really is a butterfly!"

"S-shut it Happy! Come here!"

Rock Lee laughed as Natsu chased after the cat, before flinching and rubbing his sore chest. 'Natsu-Kun truly reminds me of Naruto-Kun from back when we were genin. I have a feeling that he will become quite powerful… Yosh! Time to amp my own training!'

 _Route A winner: Team Natsu_

* * *

"…" Lucy nervously watched Juvia as the girl soaked in the water in complete silence, a worried expression growing on her face.

When they had passed the waterfall, Lucy suggested taking a dip to wash themselves along with their muddy clothes. Not a word had been spoken between the two since they entered the water.

'She's probably still thinking about what Hinata said… Not that I blame her.' Lucy thought as she forced herself to relax, and felt the heat of the island drain away in the cool water. The memory of Hinata saying Naruto loved her came to mind, and Lucy submerged herself in the water. 'Is it true? Does Naruto really… love me? If what Hinata said was true, then what was going to happen now? Not just between me and Juvia… But Mira as well?'

When Lucy came back to the surface, she found Juvia staring at her. "A-ah, sorry! I was just lost in thought is all… Ahaha…" She stuttered while laughing awkwardly, but Juvia did not look amused.

"…Lucy." Juvia suddenly said, and Lucy stiffened.

"Y-yes?"

Juvia slowly started walking over to her, and it was kind of unnerving to the blonde.

'Oh no, is she mad!? I knew she'd be mad about what Hinata said!' Lucy thought as she tried to think of a way to calm her partner down. Juvia was now standing in front of her, and Lucy thought she was a goner. But she was surprised when Juvia suddenly started crying.

"J-Juvia's sorry!" Juvia sobbed as tear started streaming down her face.

"E-eh?" Lucy said, baffled at the turn of events. Juvia wasn't going to kill her? "No, wait a second Juvia! Why are you crying?"

Juvia wiped the tears off her face. "B-because! Juvia has been so s-selfish! All this time, Juvia hasn't once t-thought of Lucy's f-feelings!" All this time, Juvia had been thinking of everyone as her rivals and did everything in her power to earn Naruto's affection. But ever since Hinata's little speech, about how Lucy had been all but sacrificing herself for the sake of her friends… It made Juvia realize she'd been treating Lucy's feelings like dirt, and it made her feel awful.

Lucy frowned. 'So that's what she's been thinking about this whole time…'

As Juvia sobbed into her hands, Lucy wrapped her arms around the her, surprising the rain woman.

"I appreciate it Juvia, but you really don't have to worry about me…" Lucy said as she hugged her friend. No, that wasn't right. She had been spending so much time around the girl that she didn't notice it. Somewhere along the line, Juvia had become her best friend.

Juvia gently pushed Lucy away and shook her head. "No! It's not fair! Juvia has been treating Lucy so badly! Always trying to make Lucy look bad in front of Naruto-Sama, taking away Lucy's alone time with him. Even going as far as to spread silly rumors about Lucy!"

'…You what?' Lucy thought with a twitching eyebrow.

"Juvia doesn't want to lose Naruto-Sama to anyone! But…" Juvia said before smiling weakly, her lips quivering. "Juvia doesn't want to lose her best friend."

Lucy gasped, tears forming in her eyes. Despite how distant Juvia always acted, Lucy knew she cherished her friends more than anything. Juvia felt the same way as she did, even if she didn't show it very well. But it made sense, as Juvia had come from Phantom Lord and was likely treated completely different there.

Lucy hugged Juvia again, and this time, Juvia returned the hug in full.

"No matter what happens, we'll always be friends…" Lucy said into Juvia's shoulder, and the girl hummed in agreement. Because it was the truth.

"Juvia will try to be considerate to Lucy's feelings…" Juvia said and Lucy giggled softly.

Their moment was cut short when they heard someone whistle.

"Whew~ I didn't know you two got along THAT well."

Lucy's eyes shot open and she turned to see Cana, along with a petrified Lisanna standing at the edge of the water with their clothes. "C-C-C-C-Cana!?"

Upon seeing the brunette's amused smile, Lucy and Juvia quickly separated from each other.

"So that's how you two are able to share Naruto! Ahaha!" Cana said while laughing her butt off, and Lucy blushed furiously.

"Cana!"

Juvia on the other hand, began to ponder in thought. '…Share?'

"I-I didn't know you three had that kind of relationship…" Lisanna said before taking off towards the meeting spot for the next part of the S-class trials. "I have to hurry and tell Mira-Nee!"

"Wha-No! It's a misunderstanding! Hold on a second Lisanna!" Lucy pleaded and chased after Lisanna, grabbing her clothes from Cana as she passed her.

When Cana regained control of her laughter, she waved a hand at the remaining girl. "Come on Juvia, the guys will be coming this way soon."

Juvia blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, yes. Thank you, Cana-San."

"Sure thing." Cana said and raised an eyebrow as Juvia grabbed her clothes and began to dress herself. 'Odd...'

* * *

"Great job everyone on passing!" Mirajane said cheerfully as the last team arrived, that team being Naruto and Wendy. Which was surprising to everyone considering the fact they had been the first ones to make it to the island.

"Yo!" Naruto said cheerfully as he raised a hand to greet everyone. He received a few different responses. Gray and Loke both waved back, along with Levy and Cana. But Gajeel was glaring at him, prompting Naruto smirk at the iron dragon slayer. Lisanna was standing next to her sister and had a mixed expression on her face. Natsu didn't seem to notice him as he seemed to be lost in thought on the boulder he was sitting on with Happy.

Makarov's eyes widened upon seeing Naruto, knowing full well which route the shinobi had taken. 'Did that brat actually…'

Naruto looked down at Wendy, who was standing right next to him. She was still frowning, and Naruto knew she was still frustrated with herself about not being able to help him in the fight. He then noticed Lucy and Juvia, and raised an eyebrow when they both looked away nervously. Wondering what that was all about, he was going to go over to them when Mirajane walked up to him and smiled.

"Hello Naruto-Kun and Wendy! How did your fight with Gildarts go?" Mira asked cheerfully, and as soon as the words left her mouth, all eyes were on the jinchuuriki.

Placing a hand on top Wendy's head when her frown deepened, Naruto grinned widely. "Hehe… We won!"

"EH!?"

"You actually beat Gildarts!?" Gray gawked. He knew Naruto was strong… But this was Gildarts they were talking about here!

Gajeel scoffed. "Big deal! I would have beaten that guy too if we went down that path."

'I don't think so, Gajeel…' Levy thought with sweatdrop, but held her tongue else risk the wrath of the easily angered man.

'Naruto… You're really something else.' Cana thought with wide eyes, then laughed when she imagined the blonde kicking her father's ass. Finding the scene to fit just right in her mind.

"As expected of my rival in love." Loke said with a nod, causing Lucy to blush.

'Why are you talking like Juvia!?' Lucy heatedly thought with a huff, she then looked at Naruto in amazement. 'Naruto's now the strongest mage in Fairy Tail… Okay! After the trials are over, I'm going to ask Naruto to help me train! I can't keep falling behind like this!' She thought with determination before looking at Juvia, only to find the girl was missing. "Eh?"

"Kyah~ As expected of Naruto-Sama~ The strongest, AND coolest mage in Fairy Tail~!" Juvia cooed as she danced around Naruto with heart-filled eyes.

Naruto blushed and scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "T-thanks, Juvia-Chan…"

Her frustration now coming from a new source, Wendy was now pouting when Juvia took one of Naruto's arms. "Juvia-San! Naruto-San is my partner!"

"Is that so? Juvia didn't notice because Wendy-San seemed to be down in the dumps. Which is impossible when you're around Naruto-Sama~" Juvia said while squeezing Naruto arm into her bust, prompting the little girl to whine in frustration.

Lucy sweatdropped. Despite all that had happened today, it seemed the girl could no longer bottle up the urge to be next to Naruto. 'But that's okay… I'd rather see Juvia smiling anyways.'

"Grah! Stop stealing all my rivals!" Everyone's attention was brought to Natsu, who suddenly stood up and shouted. "Gray! Levy! Juvia! Cana!" Natsu then looked at Naruto and grinned ferociously. "Naruto! Listen up! This is a trial to see who will become an S-class mage! I don't care what you've done, I'm not gonna lose to any of you!"

The other participants all gained expressions filled with determination in response, all thinking the same thing. 'Me neither!'

"Alright you fools! It's time to start the secondary exam!" Makarov said, and everyone listened to the master intently. "The secondary exam is finding the late first master's grave. There, I'll be waiting." The old man said before he started walking. "Send them is about thirty-minutes or so, would you Mira-Chan?"

"Of course, master!" Mirajane chirped as Makarov disappeared into the forest. She then looked at Naruto, who was now being tugged between Juvia and Wendy. 'Oh my… I better save Naruto-Kun.'

Lisanna watched as her sister went to Naruto's rescue. Lucy had explained the misunderstanding at the waterfall, but she was still worried about the whole situation. Sharing a boy between two girls was NOT okay in her book. 'Then there's also Erza… I still can't believe my plan worked, and that worries me even more…' Lisanna thought as she remembered how she and Cana had defeated the red-haired knight.

 **Flashback...**

"Alright, I'll leave it to you Lisanna!" Cana said and Lisanna nodded before charging towards Erza head-on. 'W-wait… what is she doing!?' Cana thought as Lisanna was easily outmaneuvered sent flying by the powerful woman.

"Ahhhh!" Lisanna screamed as she flew passed Cana and out the way they came.

'That was her plan!?' Cana thought before gulping when she heard footsteps behind her. Daring to turn around, she prepared to fight like her life depended on it.

"That's a good look in your eyes. But you should learn to work with your teammates better, Cana." Erza said and jumped to the left to avoid a magical card.

"Heh… I wouldn't worry about me if I were you, Erza." Cana bluffed as sweat trailing down her brow. 'What are you doing Lisanna!?'

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Is that so? Then so be it!"

"Eek!" Cana shrieked when Erza switched to her Heaven's Wheel armor and flew towards her without the slightest look of hesitation. That's what made Erza so frightening. It wasn't only because she was so powerful, but because she never held back against anyone. There was little doubt Erza was truly expecting them to defeat her for them to pass.

Just as Erza reached Cana, a voice echoed through the ruins, a voice that caused both Erza and Cana to halt in their movements.

"Ugh, I'm lost… Huh? Cana? Erza?"

Turning to see who it was, Cana and Erza saw Naruto walk into the room with them.

"Naruto? What are you doing here? There should only be one team per entry." Erza asked and pointed her sword at the blonde threateningly. "Where's Wendy?"

Naruto raised his hands in defense as he walked up to Erza. "S-sorry… We got separated and I got lost while looking for her…"

Cana raised an eyebrow. She could understand Naruto getting lost, but not when he was partnered with Wendy. That girl had a good sense of direction. She also didn't buy the two had been separated. With Naruto's Sage Mode and Wendy's keen sense of smell, there was no way in hell those two would lose each other. Cana's eyes widened in realization. 'Don't tell me… Is that Lisanna?'

Erza hummed as Naruto finished his explanation. "Very well then, I will overlook your blunder this time Naruto. But you must go back the way you came to find Wendy. She is not here."

Naruto/Lisanna nodded his head gratefully. "Thanks Erza… But I gotta say, you look really pretty in that armor."

"Thank you. This is one of my favorites." Erza said as she happily showed off her amour, the obvious flirting flying right over her head. She smiled, happy to hear Naruto appreciated her fashion when he suddenly leaned in closer to her.

"No, I'm serious Erza. It looks really good on you." Naruto/Lisanna whispered as he stared right into her eyes.

Erza found herself blushing under the shinobi's intense gaze, his ocean blue eyes were almost mesmerizing her. "T-thank you… But I-I think you should be going now. The trials are still going and I have a battle to finish with Cana." She said and changed back into her normal attire, her blush deepening when she saw Cana smirking at her. No doubt she would never hear the end of this from the brunette. But when Erza turned to leave, she was surprised when Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

"Wait, before I go I… I need to tell you something…" Naruto/Lisanna said nervously, and she was actually nervous due to what she was going to say next.

Erza tried to break free of his grip, but found her strength failing on her from the way he was looking at her. Part of her wanted to know what he wanted to say, but they were in the middle of the S-class mage trials…

"Will you hear me out?" Naruto/Lisanna asked, and Erza's defenses melted away when he smiled at her.

"F-fine… But what about Cana?" Erza asked in a last ditch attempt to get out of this situation.

"I'm sure Cana wouldn't mind waiting a little." Naruto said and they looked at the girl in question.

Cana's smirk grew before she shrugged and turned around. "Take your time. I'll be over here when you're done."

'C-curse you…!' Erza thought before her gaze was pulled back to the blonde holding her. Why was Naruto acting this way? It didn't make any sense to her!

"Erza…" Naruto/Lisanna whispered, and Erza's heart began to race. Was he about to say what she was thinking? "I lo-"

"Wait! It won't work between us!" Erza screamed when Jellal's face flashed in her mind. She broke out of the blonde's grip, surprising Lisanna and causing her transformation to fail. The two girls stared at each other for a couple seconds.

"…"

"…"

"Lisanna!?" Erza shouted angrily and summoned a sword with her magic, threatening to chop the white-haired girl in two.

"Wah! Wait a second! What won't work?" Lisanna shouted while avoiding the anger-filled swipe, and Erza froze. Seizing the opportunity, Lisanna pushed forward. "I knew it! You like Naruto-San too!"

"Wha- No! I fell for the t-trap! The trap that YOU set up!" Erza stuttered before stiffening when she heard Cana's laughter. 'Oh no… I forgot Cana was here…'

Cana walked up to Erza and pat the girl on the back. "Oh man! I thought something was up, but I gotta say… To think that even Erza has fallen for Naruto's charm."

Erza shook Cana's hand off her shoulder, her face red with anger and embarrassment. "As I said, that is not the case… Besides, Naruto has Juvia. I couldn't possibly-" Erza clamped her mouth when she realized what she had just said. Looking up, she found the other two girls staring at her in surprise.

"Did you just…"

"Admit you like him?"

Erza's face turned scarlet and she bolted out of the cave, leaving Cana and Lisanna looking at each other with wide eyes.

"… Does this mean we won?" Cana asked and as if to answer her question, the gate leading to the secondary trial opened.

 _Route D winner: Team Cana_

 **End Flashback…**

Lisanna sighed. She felt bad about putting Erza on the spot like that, but it was a question she was bound to ask her eventually.

"Thanks for that earlier, Lisanna." Cana said, getting her partner's attention. "I doubt we would have been able to beat Erza if it weren't for that plan of yours."

"No problem! I said I'd help you become S-class, didn't I?" Lisanna said with a smile before standing up. They only had a couple more minutes before the secondary trials began, and she wanted to spend some of that time talking with Natsu and Happy. 'But still… I just can't tell what is going on in Cana's mind. She says she likes to tease Naruto, but what does she actually feel?'

Naruto, having been saved by Mirajane from Juvia and Wendy, looked up at the giant tree towering over them. The massive structure seemed to be calling out to him. 'Finally… It's time I meet you in person, Mavis!'

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the delay… That last chapter really burnt me out. -_-'**

 **I wanted to get Naruto to meeting Mavis this chapter, but I decided to wait for the next one.**

 **Let me know what you guys thought!**

 **As of last chapter, we have hit 1,000 reviews! For that, you have my gratitude as a writer on this fair website. I would also like to thank my Beta redlox2, even with my frustrating delay to finish new chapters you still help and I appreciate it! :)**

 **Also, if there are any artists out there willing to make this story an actual cover let me know! :D**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next Chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	42. A Long Awaited Meeting

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

 **The Night Before the S-Class Trials…**

"Thank you, for what you did for me that time."

"Eh?" Naruto said dumbly. It was the night before their departure for Tenrou Island and Naruto had been walking home from some last-minute training when he bumped into Jellal. The cloaked man had suddenly bowed and thanked him out of nowhere.

When Jellal didn't come up from his bow, Naruto scratched his cheek awkwardly. He really wasn't good with formal situations.

"Despite me being your enemy, despite all the things that I had done… You gave me a chance to redeem myself. For that, I am eternally grateful…" Jellal said without moving.

Naruto frowned. Where was all this coming from? "Like I said, I mostly did it for Erza's sake."

"Even still… Thank you."

Sighing, Naruto looked up at the snow-filled night sky. "Bringing you here was definitely one of the rashest things I've ever done. But I'm just glad Erza's happy, ya know?" Bringing Jellal into Fairy Tail put the whole guild at risk, but he was willing to take the heat if it meant making Erza happy. Seeing her cry really stung his heart for some reason. To Naruto, Erza was one of the strongest and kindest girls he had ever met. She was someone who was willing to go through hell if it meant protecting her comrades. Old and new.

Jellal looked up at Naruto with wide eyes. 'You truly are a kind person, Naruto-San…'

"But seeing how happy Erza is with you around, I think I made the right decision." Naruto said and grinned. "She's always talking about you, ya know?"

Jellal chuckled. "You'd be surprised how much she talks about you while we're out on jobs."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Like the time she knocked you out with one of your own techniques." Jellal said almost mischievously.

Naruto crossed his arms in a huff, the events of Erza wanting to act out a scene from the Icha Icha Paradise coming to mind. "She caught me by surprise! How was I supposed to know Erza was going to do something like that out of nowhere…"

They continued to talk about the red-haired knight as they walked before eventually stopping at a crossroad.

"Well, I'll see you when we get back Jay." Naruto said with a wave and started walking towards his apartment. That is until he heard Jellal speak up again.

"Could I ask you a favor, Naruto-San?"

Naruto looked back and raised an eyebrow. "Sure, what is it?"

"Could you look after Erza in my place, since I will not be going to Tenrou Island with you all?" Jellal asked and bowed his head again.

Naruto chuckled. This again? "Do you really think Erza needs someone to look after her? Besides, we'll only be gone for a few days…"

"Please…" Jellal requested silently.

Seeing as the man wasn't going to budge, Naruto sighed and walked back over to him.

Hearing the footsteps growing closer, Jellal looked up and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Naruto holding his fist out to him.

"I promise to look after Erza and protect her." Naruto said with a grin and ushered towards his hand.

Jellal smiled under his mask and bumped the shinobi's fist with his own. "Thank you."

Naruto's grin grew wider before he turned around and waved. "See you when we get back."

"Goodbye, Naruto-San…" Jellal said with a sad look in his eyes before walking off into the darkness.

* * *

 **Present…**

"Naruto-San?" Wendy asked when the shinobi seemed to be spacing out. They were in the middle of walking through the thick forest when the older boy had fallen silent.

Naruto blinked when he was brought out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, sorry Wendy-Chan."

"Are you nervous?" Wendy asked, knowing what awaited the blonde once he found the first master's grave. As soon as Naruto met with Mavis she was going to help him confront the demon that was sealed inside of him, and this worried Wendy. Because this was yet another fight she wouldn't be able to help him with. Though her worries faded when Naruto suddenly laughed.

"Actually, I'm kinda excited! I've been looking forward to meeting Mavis in person for a while now." Naruto said reassuringly. He could think about Jellal's weird behavior later. For now, he had a grave to find.

Wendy giggled at Naruto's response. "So where do you think the first's grave is?"

Naruto hummed and looked around, they were completely surrounded by vegetation. Navigating through such a dense forest would seem impossible at fist glance. "This way."

Wendy raised an eyebrow when Naruto suddenly walked to their left and to her it seemed like he was just randomly choosing a direction. "What makes you so sure?"

"I don't really know. But somehow… I just feel like this is the right way." Naruto said, and he was telling the truth. Something about the forest was beginning to call out to him, much like it did in the dreams with Mavis.

Wendy didn't really understand, but she nodded nonetheless and followed her teammate.

They walked through the forest until a rather large tree came into their view. The base of the tree was split open, and there were stone geometrical structures jutting upwards from the ground that they assumed was Mavis' grave.

Sitting in front of the grave, was none other than Makarov. Looking up when Naruto and Wendy neared the grave, the old man stood and let out a long breath. "So… It's finally time, huh?"

"Yup…" Naruto said and let out a breath of his own. The time has come… With Mavis' help, he was finally going to face his inner darkness and tame the Kyuubi.

Wendy gripped her fists. 'I don't know if I'll be able to help Naruto-San at all, but I'll have to be ready if I can!'

"First off, I'd like to congratulate you on being the first ones to arrive. However, I'm sorry to say that your examination ends here." Makarov said and walked passed the two.

"T-that can't be…" Wendy said and looked up at the blonde, half-expecting him to be angry or at the least upset. But she was surprised when Naruto sighed.

"Ah, I thought this was gonna happen… That's too bad, I really wanted to become S-Class too!" Naruto said while rubbing the back of his head. He was a little upset about not being able to advance in the trials, but knew what Makarov was thinking. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the participants to pause the exam just to wait for him.

"It seems you really have matured since coming here, Naruto." Someone said as they landed next to Makarov.

"Yamato-Taichou! So you came with us after all!" Naruto said and looked around to see if any of the other Konoha ninja were going to show up next.

Seeing this, Yamato walked up to Naruto and pat his shoulder. "It's only me here at the moment. Kakashi-Senpai and the others are helping with the exam."

"Oh…" Naruto said before turning around to look at the grave. Since he didn't see Mavis anywhere, he assumed she was going to appear in his mind.

"Are you ready?" Yamato asked.

"…Yeah." Naruto answered and sat down in a meditative position in front of the grave. He didn't know what he was supposed to do to contact Mavis, so he decided meditating in front of her grave was a good first start.

Everyone watched the blonde intensely. After all, Naruto was about to speak with the late first master of Fairy Tail. A ghost.

"The grave… it's glowing." Yamato said when a light began to shine in the middle of two pillars. It started as an eerie glow, but then then it began to shine brilliantly.

"Pretty…" Wendy said as she stared at the light in awe.

Makarov's eyes widened, this was the first time he'd ever seen the grave do this. "First…"

When they saw Naruto continue to sit still, they assumed he was now conversing with Mavis.

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape…**

Naruto opened his eyes to find a familiar set of green eyes staring right at him. He blinked after a second before jumping back when he realized just how close the girl was to his face. "Wah!"

Mavis didn't seem to be bothered by his reaction. In fact, as soon as he moved she began to playfully jump around and cheer. "Yay! You're finally here! I've been waiting for so long!"

Naruto laughed at the little girl's enthusiasm, then looked around to find he was in the Kyuubi's sewer. Except the giant fox was nowhere to be seen. "This place is like…"

When Naruto spoke, Mavis stop cheering and nodded. "Yes… This is where you faced the darkness within you the last time."

Naruto nodded and looked for his "true self". "Where is he-er… me?"

Mavis giggled, and the shinobi's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "He isn't here yet. That's what I'm here for, silly."

"R-right…" Naruto said and scratching his cheek.

"You sure kept me waiting…" Mavis said with a slight pout. "Though you must have had your hands full, getting all the girls and such…"

Naruto blushed when Juvia came to mind. "Wh-what do mean 'getting all the girls'? Juvia-Chan is the only one who…" His voice trailed off when Mavis sent the ninja a flat look.

"Honestly… You need to learn to understand a girl's heart."

Knowing this was true, Naruto's head fell in shame. "S-sorry…"

"Are you ready?" Mavis asked seriously, and when Naruto nodded she closed her eyes and began to fade away. "Then I wish you luck…"

Naruto stood firm as Mavis' presence faded from his mindscape, and he could sense a new one from behind him. Turning around, he saw a splitting image of himself. Just like last time, it was another him with dark red eyes. "It's been awhile, me."

"I'm surprised you waited this long… But it doesn't matter." Yami-Naruto said and smirked. "Have you finally realized staying in this world is the right choice?"

Naruto continued to eye his inner self while gathering his final thoughts.

Yami-Naruto frowned at this, but his smirk returned and he began to pace. "So our 'friends' ended up coming here after all. But we both know why that is. After all, we're the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. The Leaf can't lose their tailed beast, now can they-"

"You're right. I still doubt them. We, still doubt them…" Naruto said, cutting his true self off. "But seeing Kakashi-Sensei and the others here… Made me happy nonetheless. I don't care what their reasons were. They crossed a dimension just to find me, and I choose to believe they did it because they're my friends."

Yami-Naruto shook his head and chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit since the last time we met."

"Not really, no." Naruto said casually, causing the other him to frown. "But neither have you, cause you're me. We know, being the same person, that we can't just abandon the village."

"So once we find a way back, we'll just kiss our happiness here in Fairy Tail goodbye then? We'll go from living with Lucy in a nice, clean apartment back to that old shabby one back home?" Yami-Naruto asked before glaring. "And Juvia? How do you think she'd react if we left? We'd be better off staying here where we're truly wanted!"

Naruto returned the look in full and answered. "That's why we won't abandon Fairy Tail, and we won't abandon the Leaf either. I'm not sure how yet… But we'll manage to find a way to keep the promises we've made. In both worlds. Because that's our ninja way."

Yami Naruto pointed at the blonde and growled. "That's too childish! You can't honestly expect to be able to choose both!"

Naruto smiled. "If we can't, then our friends will. We just have to believe that everyone wants us to be happy."

"But… The village hurt us for so long… It was so painful… How could you still care about them when you have a family right here?" Yami-Naruto asked, dropping his arm. They just couldn't trust the villagers… That's why it would be best to just stay here with Fairy Tail! With the people that accepted them from the beginning!

But the words that Naruto said next shook Yami-Naruto to the core.

* * *

When Naruto came to, he found three pairs of eyes staring at him intensely. "Uh… Hey guys."

Makarov was the first to speak up. "Did you speak with Mavis?"

"Yup, and I beat my inner darkness! Now I'm gonna face the Kyuubi in a bit!" Naruto said and grinned a foxlike grin.

"W-what!? Already!?" Yamato shouted in disbelief.

"W-what was your answer…?" Wendy asked meekly. She wanted to believe Naruto when he said he'd make room for them too if he found a way home, but part of her was still worried that he was just saying that out of kindness.

Naruto blinked at the sudden question and saw that even Yamato and Makarov had a slight worried look in their eyes. 'I guess they're worried if I chose a side…' He thought before grinning. "You want to know what I decided? 'Why do I have to choose a side? I'm the first ever ninja-mage!'"

Wendy let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding, she then hugged Naruto. "We'll always be friends… Right Naruto-San?"

The two adults chuckled at the scene and Naruto pat the little girl on the head reassuringly. "Of course, Wendy-Chan."

"Aw~ What a touching scene…"

Everyone, minus Yamato, turned towards the grave when a new voice spoke up.

"M-Ma-M-Mav…" Makarov sputtered while pointing a shaky finger. It was Mavis, the first master of Fairy Tail. Right in front of him! Makarov looked at Naruto who was grinning at the newcomer. "Wha-"

"Hey Mavis. Is it time?" Naruto asked.

"If you think you're ready, then we can start anytime." Mavis said before looking at the others present. "Hello everyone."

'So this is the first master of Fairy Tail… She doesn't look any older than me.' Wendy thought as Mavis sat on top of her grave, which was an odd sight. But the little blonde girl was happily settled on top of one of the small pillars with her feet dangling as though it were natural.

Yamato looked back and forth between Naruto and where the teen was presumably talking to someone. "Am I missing something?"

Naruto sent Yamato a questioning look. "This is Mavis, Yamato-Taicho. She's the one that's going to

Yamato raised an eyebrow. Was Naruto trying to pull a prank on him? "I don't see anyone there. Is Mavis really there, Makarov-Dono?"

Makarov nodded stiffly, still in complete shock that the first master of Fairy Tail was right in front of them.

Naruto turned back to Mavis, gesturing to his teacher. "Why can't Yamato-Taicho see you?"

"Only those who bare the mark of Fairy Tail can see me." Mavis answered sadly.

"Oh…" Naruto said before a lightbulb went off in his head. Gaining a mischievous grin, Naruto walked over to Mavis and started whispering something in her ear.

Yamato frowned when he saw Naruto whispering into the air. He still had his doubts. After all, Makarov was quite a character. Yamato had seen the old man's mischievous side, so he believed they were in on this together. "Honestly, do you really expect me to believe there's a ghost-"

The anbu captain stopped talking when the others began to follow something in the air until they were looking right at him, or more precisely, behind him. A sudden chill went down Yamato's spine. 'W-what… What is this feeling? I feel like something's here…'

Spinning around, Yamato found nothing but trees. But it felt like someone, or something, was breathing down his neck. "Al-alright already, I get it. Nice to meet you, Mavis-Dono…" As soon as the words left his mouth, the weird feeling disappeared and the man could relax.

"'Nice to meet you too!' Is what Mavis said." Naruto said before he started laughing. He saw Mavis float back to her seat on her grave, she had a smile on her face.

"I never thought of using this form in such a way…" Mavis said before giggling to herself. "But that was quite fun."

"We'll have to go on a prank run sometime." Naruto said excitedly, and the ideas were already forming in his head.

'Naruto-San…' Wendy thought with a sweatdrop. This was the first master of Fairy Tail they were talking about. There was no way she would-

"Really!?" Mavis said with stars in her eyes, causing Wendy to face fault. "That sounds like fun!"

Yamato sighed. 'Senpai… Your student is going to turn Fairy Tail's fist master into a prankster.'

Makarov, having recovered from his shocked state, coughed into his hand to gain everyone's attention. "First… Let me start with how much of an honor it is to meet you." The old man said with a short bow. "But I do believe we should get to the reason this child has come all this way."

Mavis nodded before turning to Naruto. "But before we get started, I need to explain what you'll need to do."

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape…**

The nine-tailed fox was resting behind the cold bars of the eight trigrams seal. But he was waiting for something, or rather, someone. Cracking open one of his massive red-slit eyes, the tailed beast found its host standing in front of the cage. **"Naruto… I don't sense your inner self anymore. Why is that?"**

Naruto stayed silent as he looked up at the behemoth he was about to face. He then started walking towards the seal and when he was near the bars, he looked up at the piece of paper with the words 'Seal' written on it.

" **Just as I thought…"** The Kyuubi said when Naruto began to float upwards towards the tag. A grin made its way onto the fox's mouth.

Naruto steeled himself before he grabbed onto the seal and ripped it off the metal bars, only to reveal what looked to be a spiral lock. Already knowing what to do next, Naruto lifted his shirt until his stomach was showing. Channeling chakra into his free hand, blue flames began sparked to life at his fingertips. Sending the Kyuubi one last glance, Naruto brought his hand to the seal markings on his stomach and twisted his wrist.

 **Click!**

The lock began to unlock. The closer the gate came to unlocking, the faster Naruto's heart raced.

Naruto gulped when the lock stopped moving, and a low growl could be heard from the other side. 'Here goes nothi-'

 **CRASH!**

"Woah!" Naruto yelped when the doors to the seal flung open, and the Kyuubi stepped out and roared. The terrifyingly loud roar shook the entire sewer. Sliding to a stop, Naruto began to think up a battle plan. 'Mavis said she wouldn't be able to help me with the actual battle, so I'm on my own… Normal jutsu weren't going to work here, so he was gonna have to hit hard and fast!'

" **I knew this day would come… But listen, brat. I don't just give people control of my power… Prove to me that you are worthy!"** The fox yelled and lifted its head into the air. Dozens upon dozens of red and blue spheres appeared throughout the air, and they morphed together to form a single massive ball. The large structure then began to shrink until it was the size of watermelon.

"So… I just have to beat you then?" Naruto said and activated his magic enhanced sage mode, and the demon consumed the condensed ball of chakra at the same time. The blonde smirked before yelling. "Then bring it on!"

The sewer was consumed by the white light that came from the tailed beast bomb.

* * *

 **Reality…**

"Mavis-Dono… If you don't mind me asking, where did you learn all of this from? How did you know the steps to gaining control of a tailed beast?" Yamato suddenly asked, then looked towards Makarov to see if the spirit said anything.

"The fox did." Mavis said and Makarov repeated what she said, surprising Yamato.

"What!? You mean you're doing what the Kyuubi told you to do!? How do we know this isn't one of its plans to escape!?" Yamato yelled and looked at Naruto worriedly. He silently cursed at trusting such an unknown with something as delicate as taming a tailed beast. If something happened to Naruto because of this, Yamato would never forgive himself.

Seeing the stress that was clearly evident on the shinobi's face, Mavis quickly spoke again. "We can trust him, I promise! That grumpy old fox may not like to admit it, but Naruto's made quite an impression on him."

Yamato frowned as he listened to Makarov repeat Mavis' words. "But still…"

"Naruto-San will be fine…" Wendy said, if anything to herself. She felt so useless again. Naruto was fighting an impossibly powerful foe and again, she couldn't do anything! Wendy then noticed Naruto had the features of Sage Mode. Did that mean he was using Sage Mode in his mindscape.

Wendy's eyes widened when an idea formed in her head. Placing her hands on Naruto's back, she muttered an incantation. _"Power of the stout arms that tears heaven..."_

If what Naruto did inside his mindscape affected his real body, then if Wendy were to apply an enhancement on him out here…

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape…**

"Guh!"

Naruto grunted as he was blasted away from a shockwave. HE had somehow managed to avoid being vaporized by the fox's huge explosion, but now he was struggling to find an opportunity to attack. Even with his enhanced speed and strength, the demon attack right where he was going to go next.

Jumping off the wall to avoid being crushed by a massive tail, Naruto cursed when he landed on the ground and saw the Kyuubi was already bringing down one of its clawed hand to flatten him. 'Crap!'

" **Arms!"**

At the sound of the familiar voice, Naruto felt a surge of energy welding up inside of him just as the hand smashed his form.

 **CRASH!**

" **Hmph! That's too bad, Naruto… Looks like you were a disappointment after all."** The Kyuubi said before he felt something moved beneath his paw. **"Hm?"**

"You think this is over… Ya dumb fox!" Naruto said as he lifted the paw off the ground from underneath. He then shoved the clawed appendage away from him, causing the Kyuubi to stagger back a few meters. "This battle hasn't even started!"

The demon fox was surprised that the shinobi had the strength to not only survive the attack, but push him back a few meters.

'I'll have to thank Wendy-Chan later for helping me out!' Naruto thought before crossing his fingers. **"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"**

The dozen clones scattered around the room as the real one charged straight towards the giant fox.

"You want to know what I've noticed?" Naruto said while reaching his left hand out, and the orange Fairy Tail insignia began to glow.

" **What would that be, brat?"** The Kyuubi said while dealing the annoying clones.

Golden energy began to swirl in Naruto's palm until it formed a Rasengan. Jumping into the air, Naruto held the golden Rasengan above his head. "I noticed that you're pretty weak against magic! So take this: **Magic Style: Massive Golden Rasengan!** "

The sphere of pure magic grew until it was almost the same size as the fox himself.

The Kyuubi's eyes widened slightly and immediately moved its tails to block the attack, but the fox's eyes widened further when he found that all nine of his were being pinned down by Naruto's clones. **"S-shit!"**

The golden Rasengan hit the Kyuubi right in the chest, and the demon roared in pain as the pure magical attack seemed to attack his very essence. **'This… This isn't good!'**

When Naruto pushed his attack further, the Rasengan seemed to go through the demon. But not in the way most would expect. His attacked seemed to faze through the demon fox's body. "What the…!"

A spirit-like duplicate of the Kyuubi began to stick out from behind its body, and Naruto could only assume that was the tailed beast's chakra. 'So that's what Mavis was talking about… I gotta pull that out with my chakra, huh?'

When the magic Rasengan disappeared, the Kyuubi let out another roar. With a burst of effort, the demon recovered its chakra back. The beast then shook off the clones form its tails, destroying all of them. **"You caught me by surprise there… But it won't work again."**

Naruto chuckled. "You really are strong…"

The demon fox surged forward and tried to consume the ninja, but Naruto jumped over the beast and quickly grabbed onto its tails. Pulling with all his might, Naruto lifted and swung the tailed beast over his shoulder. The Kyuubi smashed into the ground with a loud crash.

Naruto jumped into the air and crossed his fingers, and an army of shadow clones armed with sage enhanced Rasengans appeared at his side as he fell towards the behemoth. The clones roared as they all flew into the beast, brightening the sewer in a hue of blue.

The fox struggled to get up after the barrage ended, and Naruto saw it as his chance. 'Now!'

Grabbing onto one of the nine tails, Naruto began to try and pull the demon's chakra out with his own. 'This is… hard!'

The Kyuubi struggled to sit up. **'I can't believe how far this brat has come… To push ME into a corner! But I'm not gonna just roll over and become your pet, Naruto…'**

As Naruto continued to pull the Kyuubi's chakra out, something began to flow into the flow. Something evil…

 _Hate…_

'…Huh?' Naruto thought before his mind was suddenly assaulted by dark thoughts.

 _It's him!_

 _I hate you!_

 _Go away!_

 _If only you weren't here…_

'W-what is this…?' Naruto thought as the world around him began to fade into an empty plain. In the distance, he saw a younger version of himself standing in front of a crowd. A scene he was all too familiar with.

The villagers, back when their hatred of him was fresh. He was alone. Always alone…

* * *

 **Reality…**

"What's happening to him!?" Makarov asked when Naruto's appearance began to change.

"This chakra… it's the Kyuubi! The Kyuubi's trying to take over him!" Yamato yelled and tried to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra with his tailed beast suppression technique. A seal appeared on his palm. "I'll try to hold it back!"

"Naruto-San!" Wendy cried and chanted another enchantment spell in attempt to aid the blonde, but the Kyuubi's chakra continued to seep over Naruto's body.

But then the Kyuubi's chakra suddenly stopped. It was now only covering half of his body in demonic chakra.

"…It stopped?" Makarov said before turning to Yamato to see if it was his doing, but the man shook his head.

Wendy sighed in relief. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to go take a look." Mavis said and faded out of existence. She didn't want to enter Naruto's mind again until after he was finished, but she couldn't help but worry.

* * *

 **Naruto's Mindscape…**

Mavis opened her eyes and found herself standing in Naruto's mindscape. But unlike the Kyuubi's sewer, this room was bright and cheerful. 'Where's Naruto… Oh?'

After looking around, Mavis finally found the ninja. But he wasn't alone. Standing next to Naruto was a tall, beautiful woman with striking red hair that almost reached her knees. 'Who's that?'

Naruto noticed the little girl and waved to her rather cheerfully. "Oh, hey Mavis! Look! Look! This is my mom!"

* * *

 **A/N: The Golden Rasengan… A Rasengan variant that is purely made of magic. Naruto wasn't lying when he said he learned a few new tricks during his training with Wendy. There's still a few more techniques he's yet to show. ;)**

 **Already having his answer, Naruto defeats his inner darkness and faces Kurama! Speaking of Kurama… It seems the old fox is slowly opening up after all. In order for Naruto to earn the Kurama's respect, he must defeat the fox in the tug of war.**

 **The was something fishy going on with Jellal as well… Wonder what that was all about. :3**

 **As always, P.M. me or review if you have any questions/comments/concerns!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	43. Naruto's Mystery Home Adventure

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: Announcement at the end!**

* * *

 **Omake…**

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Cause my tracksuit is the best!"

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms under her chest. They were getting ready to retire for the night when Lucy found Naruto's tracksuit on the floor when she had just gotten out of the shower. That was when it dawned to her. Naruto had been wearing the same clothes the entire time they've known each other.

"Why are you being so difficult? I was just suggesting you buy some new clothes for a change of pace!"

"Well I don't wanna!" Naruto and turned himself around on the couch defiantly. He figured she was probably just saying all this because she wanted him to go shopping with her.

"You…" Lucy started before sighing in defeat. How did she fall in love with such a childish boy?

Picking the tracksuit of the floor while holding her towel to keep it from falling, Lucy noticed just how worn the cloth was. Thanks to Mirajane the stiches were hardly noticeable, but it has definitely seen better days. Checking to see if Naruto was watching, Lucy crept towards her spirit keys.

'If I get Cancer to shred his stupid track suit, then he'll be forced to wear new clothes…' Lucy thought as she picked up the crab's golden key. She felt bad about using such a method, but Naruto seriously needed to wear something different.

Naruto turned back over on the couch when Lucy suddenly went silent. He raised an eyebrow when he saw her summon Cancer. 'What is she-Wai-No!'

"Hurry!" Lucy shouted when she heard Naruto move. She threw the orange cloth into the air so her spirit could get the job done. But just as Cancer was about to shred the orange tracksuit to shreds, Naruto flew by and caught his beloved shirt mid-air.

But the ninja didn't go unscathed as the spirit cut up his pajama shirt. When Naruto landed on the ground, now shirtless, he launched a side kick and sent Cancer flying out the window.

'Darn, Naruto was too fast… Sorry Cancer!' Lucy thought as she watched her spirit plunge into the canal in front of their apartment and disappear.

"Sorry Crab-Guy!" Naruto yelled out the window before he felt the jacket slip out of his hands. Lucy had grabbed it while he wasn't looking. "Hey! Give that back!"

"No! This is for your own good!" Lucy shouted back and the two danced around the furniture as Naruto tried to catch the fleeting girl.

Naruto had to be careful where he grabbed because Lucy was still only in a towel, and he did NOT want to cause another accident. He still couldn't believe Lucy was this adamant to get him to go shopping with her!

The blondes stared at each other from across the coffee table, both anticipating what the other was about to do next.

When Naruto decided to dash to his right, Lucy moved to her right and canceled out his movement. They did this a couple times before Naruto growled in frustration.

"Give me back my jacket!" Naruto shouted and leaped over the table towards his target, and he immediately regretted his rash decision.

Lucy had been surprised by his sudden movement and slipped on floor when she tried to move too fast. She hadn't been completely dry when she walked out of the bathroom and all that running around had gotten the floors all wet.

"Wah!"

"S-shoot!"

 **CRASH!**

Naruto and Lucy fell on the floor and slid across the room, stopping right in front of the door.

Which was now opening.

"Are you guys okay-" Erza began to say with Tenten looking in from behind, but the red head's words died in her mouth when Lucy's towel fell past her face and onto the floor.

Naruto was lying face first, without a shirt, on top of a now naked Lucy. Upon seeing the knight, both blonde's faces turned scarlet because no matter how you looked at this situation, they looked like they were about to do something indecent.

Erza closed the door, then opened the door again to check if she was seeing things. When she kept seeing the same thing, she walked in and stood in front of the two. "Sit."

Naruto and Lucy followed the girl's orders immediately and scrambled into seiza-style.

Erza handed Lucy her towel, and the girl happily covered herself. "Now… Would you mind telling me what you were doing?"

'How did Erza even get in…?' Lucy thought as she tried to think of a way to calm the girl down, but she was too embarrassed to say anything.

"I-it's a misunderstanding Erza…" Naruto gulped when the S-Class mage's gaze fell on him. "…San?"

"…Misunderstanding? What is there to misunderstand here?" Erza said before her eyes were shadowed by her bangs, prompting Naruto and Lucy to gulp.

Tenten sweatdropped as she watched the two cower before Erza. 'This probably is just a misunderstanding. I wonder what's got Erza so worked up… Huh?' Tenten raised an eyebrow when Erza began to tremble slightly.

"L-l-lying on top of each other… N-n-naked!" Erza pointed a shaky finger at Naruto, earning an 'eep!' from the blonde. "D-does Juvia know about this!?"

"W-what? No, of course she doesn't. It just happened." Naruto said and Erza began to tremble.

'Oh boy…' Tenten thought and moved away from the incoming storm. When Erza got like this, there was no calming her down.

Naruto dropped to the ground and begged for forgiveness. "I-I'm sorry Erza! It was truly an accident!"

When Erza's trembling intensified to point where she was visibly shaking, Lucy tried to calm her down. "W-we live together… Something like this was bound to happen eventually-" Lucy clamped her mouth shut. 'Why did I say that!? Saying something like that just begs for a misunderstanding!'

Lucy's thoughts proved right when Erza stopped shaking and the room fell silent.

Naruto and Lucy both looked at each other in terror. 'We're dead…'

"This is what is going to happen…"

* * *

 **The Next Morning…**

"You're moving out?" Gray asked with a surprised look on his face. He was sitting with Naruto and Lucy in the guild. "What did you do?"

"There was an… 'Incident', and Erza thought it was time I got my own place." Naruto said before looking at his stuff and sighing. He had all his belongings concealed in a large scroll in front of him on the table. Cleaning his stuff out of the apartment only took him a couple minutes since he didn't really have all that much.

"How did Erza even get in? I was sure I locked the door…" Lucy said before looking at Naruto, who had looked away nervously. "What did you do?"

"I might have made a couple spare keys and handed them out... For emergencies, ya know?" Naruto said and laughed awkwardly.

 **WHAM!**

As Naruto cradled his thumping head, Lucy shook her head. "We should be glad it wasn't Sakura-San who walked in… Now what are you going to do? There's not a lot of cheap apartments like ours in Magnolia. I got really lucky back then."

"You mean 'yours'?" Gray teased, earning a heated look from the celestial spirit mage.

"You can always stay at our place, Naruto-Kun." Mirajane said with a wink as she passed their table.

"Thanks, Mira-Chan…" Naruto said, seeing it as the girl teasing him, before slouching over the table. "Ugh… What am I going do? I'm broke, and Lucy says there's not a lot of cheap apartments here…"

"What do you mean you're broke? You won the Miss Fairy Tail Contest, and I see you guys go on plenty of good paying jobs. You couldn't have spent all that money… Right?" Gray asked, before gaping when Naruto began to chuckle awkwardly. He then looked at Lucy and the girl shook her head. "…Seriously?"

"Yup. But hey, at least he 'won't ever go hungry again'!" Lucy said a bit sourly. She was still upset about losing to the boy she was in love with in a feminine contest.

"That hurts, Lucy…" Naruto said and hugged his scroll full of ramen. His five-hundred thousand jewels worth of ramen. "Do you know how many people I can feed with all of this ramen? I don't think I'd be able to make enough shadow clones to eat all of it in one go!"

Gray's jaw hit the floor, knowing all too well how many shadow clones the 'One Man Army' could make. "…Seriously?"

"I know, right? Do you know how many times we could have paid off the rent with that money?" Lucy said before looking at the scroll and crying anime tears. "Five times… That's five months' worth of rent in that scroll… and it's all ramen!"

Naruto grunted and picked his scrolls off the table. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you two make fun of my ramen!" He then stomped his way towards the exit. "I'll find a place by myself! A place where my neighbors will love ramen as much as I do!"

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Lucy asked with a slight look of worry on her face.

Naruto grinned and gave the girl a thumbs up. "Don't worry Lucy! I've lived in this town long enough to be able to do this much on my own!"

This snapped Gray out of his shocked state. "Isn't Lucy the one that makes all the plans on your team?"

Naruto was about to answer when he realized Gray was right. Lucy was the one that made most, if not all of the decisions on their team. Because he had been so lost in the beginning of his adventures here in Fiore, he had been completely reliant on his fellow blonde.

Seeing the look of realization on the ninja's face, Gray nodded to himself. "See? You'd be better off letting Lucy help you. Don't take this the wrong way, but the way I see it, you'd be a mess here without Lucy."

Lucy turned back to Naruto to see him staring at the ground. "I can just help you find a place. It's not that big of a deal…"

"No, I'll be okay." Naruto suddenly said with a determined look. "Thanks Lucy, but I can do at least this much!"

With that said, the shinobi tuned around and bolted out of the guild to start his objective.

"…You're quite blunt, aren't you Gray?" Lucy said with a sweatdrop.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Am I?"

* * *

 **Several Hours Later…**

"I give up…" Naruto said and plopped down on a bench. He'd been looking for a cheap apartment like the one he shared with Lucy all day, but found nothing that came close to his budget and it was already close to sunset. 'Maybe I should be a little more careful with my money…'

As Naruto continued to think of a solution, Mirajane walked around the corner with a bag in her hands. Noticing the brooding blonde, she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh my, are you still looking for a place to stay Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto sent the girl a weak smile. "Hey Mira-Chan… Yeah, I just couldn't find a good apartment today. I don't know what I'm gonna do now, and I can't go back to Lucy's apartment or Erza will get mad."

Seeing an opportunity, Mirajane put on her best smile. "Why don't you stay at my place while you look for an apartment?"

Naruto blinked at the offer, but shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't want to intrude. Besides, I think Erza would get mad if I were to stay at another girl's house…"

"It's not just me, there's Elfman, Lisanna, and Rock Lee remember?" Mirajane said before adding. "Even if it's just for the night. I don't want you sleeping out in the cold."

A warm feeling started welding up in Naruto's chest. Right now, he truly felt wanted. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Naruto looked way awkwardly. "I-I guess I can stay with you guess… If you don't mind."

"Of course, you're more than welcome." Mirajane said with a warm smile, and the two began to walk to the house.

"Ah, let me hold that for you Mira-Chan!" Naruto said and grabbed the groceries from the barmaid. It was least he could do for her letting him stay at their house. He'd have to help out as much as possible!

"Oh my, quite the gentleman, are we?" Mirajane said, and giggled when Naruto blushed. 'Sorry Lucy… Now it's my turn to see what it's like to live with Naruto-Kun.'

As they walked, Mirajane noticed something in the corner of her eye. She could see Juvia on the other end of the street carrying a box that was easily four-times her size. 'Oh my… What is she up to?'

* * *

"This looks great!" Naruto said as he gawked at all the delicious looking food in front of him.

"Amazing, Nee-Chan… You really went all out tonight like a man!" Elfman said while raising his arms and cheering.

"Whatever do you mean? We always eat like this, don't we Elfman?"

"R-right… Of course!" Elfman stuttered, not missing the hint in her words. He had been surprised when Mirajane came home with Naruto, but figured his sister knew what she was doing. Elfman, being one of the few people that knew for a fact that Naruto wasn't involved with anyone, was on Mirajane's side on what the guild called 'the battle for Naruto'. He didn't have anything against Lucy or Juvia, he just loved his sisters more than anything in the world and wanted them to be happy.

Rock Lee clasped his hands together and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you again for this wonderful meal, Mira-Chan!"

"Hey, I helped too you know…" Lisanna said with a pout.

"Ah, yes! Of course, Lisanna-San! Both you and your sister both burn brightly with youthful cooking skills!"

Lisanna smiled awkwardly. "Thanks?"

"You're very welcome Lee-San." Mirajane said with a chuckle before raising her glass. "Now then, shall we have a toast for our new roommate?"

Everyone raised their glass. "Welcome, Naruto!"

"You guys…" Naruto said and scratched his cheek in embarrassment, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

'It sure was bold of Mira-Nee to bring Naruto-San here… I guess she had to get serious since Naruto-San isn't living with Lucy anymore…' Lisanna thought as everyone began to eat. 'But still… Naruto-San has three girls after him right now, and so far, he only seems to know about Juvia's feelings. Don't worry Mira-Nee! I'll support you in any way I can!'

Naruto sweatdropped as he chewed on his food. 'I don't know why, but Lisanna's been glaring at me this whole time… Did I do something to make her mad?' He thought while trying his best to avoid making eye contact with the youngest Strauss.

After supper, Elfman and Lee left to do laps around the house on their hands. Naruto offered to clean the dishes, but Lisanna insisted on doing them herself and didn't to take no for an answer.

So letting the girl have her way, Naruto walked over to Mirajane to see if there was anything else he could do. "Is there anything else that you guys need help with?"

'How cute, he's trying his best to help out…' Mirajane thought with a giggle. "As a matter of fact, there is! I was just about to bake some cookies if you would like to help me?"

"Cookies?" Naruto thought and looked at the counter in front of them. There were eggs, flour, sugar, and just about anything one would need to make delicious cookies. "I've never baked anything before…"

"Is that a no…?" Mirajane asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"N-no! I mean, yes! I'd love to bake with you Mira-Chan!" Naruto stuttered and put on one of the extra aprons. "Please teach me well!"

Mirajane giggled and nodded politely. "I will teach you everything I know, my pupil."

And so, the two began to bake. Naruto, having never cooked anything like this before, messed up a lot. He got a face full of flower when the bag exploded in his face, he got egg shell bits into the mix, and even burned a few cookies. But they were having fun nonetheless.

Unknown to them, Lisanna was watching them with a victorious grin on her face.

'Way to go, Mira-Nee! You're killing it!' Lisanna thought and pumped a fist.

"I'm sorry… *Huff! Lee-San! I couldn't do… one-hundred laps like man!"

"No worries, Elfman-Kun! You just have to keep trying your hardest and you will get it next time!"

'What the?' Lisanna thought when she heard the voice of her brother and Lee just outside the door behind her. 'Oh no! They're going to ruin the mood!'

Just as the door opened, Lee and Elfman cheered for a workout well done. "Youthful men-Mmff!"

"Shh! They're just getting to the good part!" Lisanna hissed as she covered their mouths. Looking back to see if they were heard, she sighed in relief when she saw Naruto and Mirajane didn't seem to notice.

Lisanna then sent the two boys a hard look that said: "Keep it quiet, got it?"

Elfman and Lee both nodded and Lisanna smiled in satisfaction before letting them go, but she grimaced when she realized how sweaty they were. After all, the two youthful men had just gone and done about one-hundred laps around the house on their hands.

"Hm? Was that Elfman and Bushy-Brows just now?" Naruto said and looked behind him, but raised an eyebrow when he didn't see anything.

"I didn't hear anything." Mirajane said with even looking, she figured Lisanna had shut them up. 'Thank you, Lisanna…'

Naruto hummed and got back to mixing his batter, but not before glancing at Mirajane. He couldn't help but blush when he saw her cutting some cookie dough into shapes. She had her hair tied in a long ponytail behind her back and was wearing a pink apron that hugged her model figure. To Naruto, Mirajane was glowing with feminine charm.

Mira was aware of the blonde's staring, but she acted like she didn't. "Are you ready to shape your cookies, Naruto-Kun?"

Naruto fumbled with his dough and almost dropped it, but he managed to keep it from falling and let out a breath of relief. "Y-yeah, I think so…"

"Now, just like I taught you…" The barmaid said and moved closer, grabbing onto the ninja's hands to help him flatten the dough to the right thickness.

Naruto gulped nervously as he felt Mirajane's soft hands on top of his, but he tried his best to concentrate because the girl was going out of her way to teach him. "O-okay…"

"Then you take these cookie-cutters, and…. There you go! Now they're ready for the oven." Mirajane chirped and Naruto wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

Baking was a lot tougher than he thought, it took a lot of time and effort. You had to be careful with the amounts of ingredients, as well as the denseness of the dough. If you put too much sugar, the cookies would be too sweet. But if you didn't put enough sugar, the cookies would have a bland taste. Mirajane had baked a perfect batch of cookies her first try, while Naruto was working on his fourth batch.

"You sure are amazing, Mira-Chan…" Naruto said as he set a timer for his cookies, because he cooked his last three batches too long and the burned.

"You'll get it this time, Naruto-Kun. I have a good feeling about this batch!" Mirajane chirped, but Naruto shook his head.

"I'm not just talking about the cookies. You know how to cook anything and it always taste so good!" Naruto exclaimed before sighing. "Lucy always did the cooking when I still lived with her… The most I'm able to cook is instant ramen and maybe some eggs."

"Well, I'd be happy to teach you anytime." Mirajane said and smiled warmly, and Naruto returned the smile in full.

That was it, Rock Lee couldn't take it anymore. "GuoooooaaAAAAAH! Naruto-Kun and Mira-San are just like married couple! They are clearly a prime example of what it means to be youthful!"

"O-oi, Lee-San!" Elfman said when he saw the shocked look on his little sister's face, but when she didn't blow up he joined his friend. "Naruto-San, baking is what makes you a man!"

Lisanna then shook her head and sighed. Partially because their cover had been blown, but also because she was glad she didn't have to deal with the two boys' body odor anymore. She didn't know how much more she would have been able to handle.

As Naruto blushed from the married couple part, Mirajane sighed and pointed towards the hallway. "It looks like you two just got back from your late-night training. Baths, please."

It wasn't a request.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lee and Elfman said in unison before scurrying down the hallway to race each other to the bathroom. Lisanna waved awkwardly before retiring to her own room for the night.

"Honestly, those two… Making such a ruckus at this hour." Mirajane said with her hands on her hips.

"You'd make a great wife, ya know?" Naruto suddenly said.

"W-What do you mean by that?" Mirajane said, her face heating up with that comment seemingly coming out of nowhere. Not that she was complaining.

Naruto blushed when he realized what he said might have sounded weird. "I-I mean, you're super pretty, you're a great cook, and you act just like a mother sometimes, ya know?"

Mirajane's eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth. She then quickly turned away. Was she… Embarrassed!? "Th-thank you…"

"Y-yeah…" Naruto said and rubbed that back of his head sheepishly. 'Man, I said something weird again…'

The two stood there for a couple minutes, the only noise being a faint beeping sound in the background.

"…Your cookies are going to burn."

"Oh crap! Not again!" Naruto said and rushed off to get his tray out of the oven.

Mirajane smiled to herself, this was the feeling that she had been wanting to experience. 'So this is what the fuss was all about… Love…'

* * *

The Strauss household had three bedrooms. Mirajane and Lisanna had rooms of their own, and Elfman and Rock Lee shared the last one. There was a fourth room, but it was filled with training supplies so Naruto was staying in the room with the boys.

Elfman's room was big enough to fit the three of them. Naruto and Lee were sleeping in futons on the floor next to Elfman's bed.

Rock Lee had long since passed out, as he was snoring lightly while muttering in his sleep occasionally.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. Despite his shortcoming in finding an apartment, he had a lot of fun today.

"Hey, Naruto. Are you still awake?" Elfman asked in the dark.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I never got to thank you for bringing Lisanna back to us. As a man, you have my thanks."

Naruto chuckled and stared up at the ceiling. "I didn't do anything, Lisanna decided she wanted to come back on her own."

"Because of what you said to her." Elfman added and smiled. "Ever since that day, Nee-Chan has been the happiest I've ever seen her…"

"Mira-Chan?"

"Yeah, and I'm thankful for that too. Nee-Chan… Didn't always have that happy persona."

"Mira-Chan told me about that." Naruto said when he saw where the conversation was heading.

"I see…" Elfman said and closed his eyes. 'So Nee-Chan already opened up to him… She must be really serious.' This was the first time Elfman had ever heard of his sister opening up to anyone outside of their family of three like that. This set his mind at ease, and now truly believed Naruto would be able to make his sister happy.

* * *

Lucy was pacing back and forth in her apartment. "Was Naruto able to find an apartment? Ugh… I should have just gone with him. But he was so adamant on doing it himself…"

Sitting down at the table, Lucy looked around the main room. It sure was quiet.

Shaking her head, Lucy rested her chin on her hands. "I'm just worrying too much, he's probably already asleep right now."

* * *

 **Strauss Household…**

Naruto opened his eyes when he was awoken by a strange noise. He looked around and found that he was alone in the room. It was still night, but there was enough moonlight shining in from the window for him to see the other two beds were empty. 'Did Elfman and Bushy-Brows get up already?'

When he heard the noise again, Naruto decided to investigate. Getting out of his futon, the blonde crept out of the room and looked down the hallway. One of the doors were open.

Walking towards the door without making any noise, Naruto looked through the crack and saw Elfman standing near a punching bag. The man was in a loose stance and was kicking the bag lightly.

'Ah, he probably adopted Bushy-Bows' training habits…' Naruto thought with an amused smile and walked back to the room. Slipping into his futon, Naruto yawned and snuggled into his pillow.

'Huh, I didn't see Bushy-Brows in there. Oh well… Knowing him, he's probably already at the training field…' Naruto thought as he closed his eyes. But just as sleep was about to overtake him, he was abruptly wakened by a blow to his stomach. "Gufuh!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and found Lee standing over him, but there was something odd about the taijutsu specialist.

His eyes were closed and he was making groggily noises.

'Is he sleep fighting!?' Naruto thought as he rolled away from the sleeping teen. He moved to escape into the hallway when he smashed into something. Recovering from his daze, Naruto's face paled when he saw what he had run into. "Oh no…"

Elfman stood at the door way, but he was snoring.

It seemed the man had adopted Lee's training habits after all.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

Naruto sighed as he walked through the town. Mirajane had apparently forgotten to tell him that Lee and Elfman trained in their sleep. He felt bad for the barmaid. Mira had been frantically apologizing and looked really down when he left. 'Maybe I should bake something for Mira-Chan later as thanks… That doesn't sound girly, does it?'

Dealing with the sleepwalking duo without hurting them was hard and left him sleep deprived, but that was all in the past now. He had a mission today.

"Today I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna find an apartment!" Naruto shouted out to the world. He had searched around the north side of town the day before because it was closer to the guild, but today he was going to search the south side.

With his plan in mind, Naruto set off to find his new home.

But alas, after a couple hours of searching, Naruto was unable to find an apartment that fit his budget.

Naruto found himself sitting on the same bench. "Ugh… Maybe I should just go and ask Lucy for help."

"Get out of here! You almost put me out of business last time you went on a drinking spree!"

"Awe, Come on~! I didn't even get to try today's special!"

Recognizing one of the voices, Naruto stood up and walked towards the shouting from. Looking around the corner, he saw Cana standing in front of a bar arguing with a person that he assumed was the owner. 'The owner must have kicked her out for drinking too much…'

Cana noticed the blonde in the corner of her eyes and smirked internally. 'Perfect… Now I just have to act like I'm a victim and he'll-'

Naruto turned around left.

"H-hey, why are you leaving!?" Cana shouted and chased after the blonde, but not before looking back at the bar owner. "I'll be back!"

* * *

 **Later at a Bar…**

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. When Cana had caught up to him, she not only convinced him to help her get into the bar she had been kicked out of, but somehow managed to talk him into drinking with her.

"So let me get this straight… Erza made you move out of your apartment with Lucy, and you couldn't find an apartment that fit your budget. Mira found you and let you stay with her for the night, but when that didn't work out you left and still can't find a place, huh?" Cana said before downing an entire bottle in one go. She squealed in delight from the burning sensation it left in her throat. "Ahha! Nothing beats a good drink in the morning!"

"Yup, that's pretty much it… I'm not sure what to do now." Naruto said as he swirled around the contents of his drink.

"Why not just ask Lucy for help?"

"I… Kinda want to prove that I'm capable of doing something on my own." Naruto said, the words Gray said still fresh on his mind. "I didn't realize it, but I've been relying on Lucy this whole time. If it weren't for her, I don't know what I would have done." He didn't know if it was because of the alcohol that was making him talk so much or what, but admitting his reliance on Lucy somehow took a load off his chest.

Cana hummed in thought before looking out the window, it was already night and she didn't think the blonde would be able to find a suitable apartment in the dark. An idea forming in her head, Cana gained a mischievous smiled and wrapped an arm around the languishing ninja. "Then all you have to do is prove you're a capable man with or without Lucy, right? But let's just forget about all of that for now… Let's drink!"

Naruto chuckled at the girl's carefreeness before shrugging internally. Why not? It was alright to let go every once in a while. Naruto drank the remains of his drink and slammed it onto the table.

"Alright, now we're talking!" Cana said with a huge smile on her face. "Hey, owner! More please!"

Naruto poured himself another glass and it was bottoms up from there.

* * *

Lucy was sitting at her desk writing up a storm. She hadn't seen Naruto all day, but had decided he was probably setting up his new place.

The thought of Naruto never peeking on her writing again almost saddened her.

"No, don't be sad! It's for the best! A boy and a girl that aren't involved really shouldn't be living together!" Lucy said before getting back to writing her novel. She was able to really focus on her writing a lot easier without Naruto always trying to sneak a peek.

'I'll have to show him when I finish it...' Lucy thought as she wrote vigorously, a new goal in mind. If she finished her story, it would be an excuse to go see Naruto at his new apartment!

* * *

 **Later…**

Naruto groaned as he walked with a half-conscious Cana on his shoulder, both of their faces were flushed with color. 'I think I drank a little too much…'

"Ah~ That was the… shecond time you bet me!" Cana said in slurs, but Naruto was somehow able to understand her. "No one beash Cana!"

"Where's your place?"

Cana chuckled and leaned closer to the ninja, almost causing them to fall due to their drunken states. "Oho? Whas thish? Tryin to take me home? How bold of you, Naruto-Kun…"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's dark and I gotta get you home."

Cana pouted. "You're no fun… It's just up ahead."

When they reached the Cana's house, the girl fished key out of her bikini top and fumbled to fit the object into the keyhole. Opening the door, Naruto then helped her into the house.

"Which one's your room?" Naruto asked and when Cana began to laugh mischievously again, he sighed. "Cana…"

"I know I know… It's the second door on the left." Cana said and Naruto closed the door behind them.

Stumbling into Cana's room, Naruto managed to get the girl to her bed. "Alright, here you go-woah!"

Just as Naruto let Cana go to fall on her bed, she grabbed onto his arm and dragged him down with her. They fell onto the bed side by side.

Naruto moved to get up, but Cana pulled his head into her chest. "Wh-wh-wh-what are you do-Mmf!?"

Cana squeezed the blonde closer to silence him. "Keep it down, my head is ringing from all the booze. Just stay… here for the night…"

"H-hey… Come on, Cana. This isn't funny." Naruto whispered as he tried to get out of Cana's grasp, but the girl's grip was surprisingly strong and he was too hammered to want to put any more effort. 'It's no use, she's already asleep…'

Naruto looked up at Cana's face and blushed. She was breathing softly, and aside from the strong smell of alcohol in her breath, she looked peaceful. 'I guess I never really noticed before, but Cana's really pretty…'

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Naruto shut his eyes closed. Trying his best to relax, the shinobi began to feel the warmth Cana's body was emitting. It was far from uncomfortable, almost soothing.

He could almost fall asleep…

Naruto's eyes shot open. 'How can I fall asleep like this!?'

Naruto didn't get any sleep that night.

* * *

 **The Next Day…**

"Eh~ You're leaving already?" Cana whined as she followed Naruto in her hallway.

Naruto opened the door and turned around.

Cana almost snickered when she saw the bags under the blonde's eyes, which meant he didn't get a wink of sleep. She couldn't remember a thing from the night before, but she knew nothing happened, because that was the kind of person Naruto was. He wasn't the type that took advantage of girls, the bags under his eyes proved that much. "But you still look tired, why not stay a little longer? I'll even cook you breakfast?"

'Whose fault is that…?' Naruto thought with a twitching eyebrow. "As tempting as it sounds to see you cook, I really gotta find an apartment today. I'll see you later Cana." He said and left.

Cana laughed and said her farewells. 'Well, that sure was fun…'

Yawning, Cana turned around to go back to sleep when she heard a knock on her door. Smirking, Cana opened the door again. "Oh? Was my cooking that tempting after… Hm? What are you doing here?"

* * *

"So tired…" Naruto mumbled as he walked through the streets of Magnolia. He didn't find a place in the northern part of town, or in the southern part of town. Now, he was honestly just wondering around.

Looking up at a nearby hill, he saw a large building that was the female dormitory of Fairy Tail. Fairy Hills.

"Heh… It would have been great if that place allowed guys…" Naruto said and sighed. At this rate, he was going to have to ask Lucy for help and nothing would change. 'I guess I can't do anything on my own afterall-Guaha!'

Naruto was brought of his thoughts when someone jumped onto his back.

"Na-ru-to-Sa-ma~!" Juvia's voice chimed as she pressed herself onto the blonde's back.

"J-Juvia-Chan!?" Naruto said as his face heated up from a mixture of seeing the girl who had confessed to him, and the fact that the same girl was pressing her entire body onto his back. He could feel just about everything…

Getting down and dashing in front of the blushing teen, Juvia smiled brightly. "Juvia has something she wants to show Naruto-Sama!"

"Show me? Show me what?"

The rain woman winked. "It's a secret!"

Naruto chuckled. "Okay, should I close my eyes then?" He asked and when the girl nodded, he closed his eyes. He wondered what it could be. Surely it wasn't the key to an apartment? Nah, that would be way too convenient.

Thought something unexpecting, yet familiar happened. Naruto suddenly felt like he had fallen into a pool of water. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness. 'W-what the!? I can't see… or breath!'

Remembering this happened once before in the past, Naruto stopped thrashing around and decided to wait it out. His patience paid off when he fell out of the water and onto carpet. Just as he thought, it was Juvia's magic. But why she decided to suddenly take him into her water-body was still unclear to him. 'Wait… Carpet?'

Opening his eyes, Naruto found he was now inside a room. It was a simple looking room, with a round table in the left side of the room. Two couches with heart-shaped pillows, and two beds next to each other in the far-right corner. One bed had a Naruto plush figure, and the other had a Juvia plush. Now that he took a closer look, it seemed like a girl's room.

Naruto's face paled.

"Sorry, Naruto-Sama…

"N-no, it's fine…" Naruto said before looking down at the carpet beneath him, expecting it to be drenched with water. But he was surprised to see it was completely dry, and so was he. "Eh? Where did all the water go?"

"Everything in Juvia's room is enchanted to absorb water." Juvia explained and splashed some water onto the wall with her magic, and it was absorbed almost immediately.

"Oh, that's coo-" Naruto's mouth clamped shut. 'I knew it!'

Seeing the surprised look on Naruto's face, Juvia clasped her cheeks. "Juvia is so embarrassed to have Naruto-Sama in her room~!"

"Wh-why did you bring me here, Juvia-Chan?" Naruto dared to ask.

Juvia poked her fingers together. "Juvia heard Naruto-Sama had to move out and find his own place, and Juvia was worried… So Juvia thought Naruto-Sama could stay here!"

'Oh, so she wasn't trying to…' Naruto thought before shaking his head. He then looked at the girl and smiled. 'What was I thinking… She was just worried about me…'

"Naruto-Sama is always helping Juvia… So this time, Juvia wanted to help Naruto-Sama!" Juvia said and hugged Naruto.

Naruto blushed from the sudden contact, but he smiled and returned the hug. "Thank you, Juvia-Chan… But this is Fairy Hills, right? Aren't guys not allowed here?"

Juvia broke the hug and smiled. "It's not a problem if no one finds out!"

'No, that is a problem…' Naruto thought with a sweatdrop before looking at the matching beds. "So that's why you have two beds?"

Juvia nodded. "This is a magic bed. It can slide back together and form single bed…" Juvia said while pushing the twins together, and they merged into a single unit. She grabbed the plush figures and placed them side by side. "For when Naruto-Sama's ready to… share…"

Naruto blushed furiously when Juvia climbed onto the bed. This was bad. Really bad. Something in Naruto's head told him to get out of there fast before it was too late.

"Unless, Naruto-Sama is already ready?" Juvia asked shyly while patting the spot next to her.

This pushed Naruto off the edge and he flew back with a nose bleed. 'So she really was…!'

"N-Naruto-Sama!"

* * *

The Next Day…

"Good work on finding an apartment, Naruto." Erza said and brought Naruto to her armored chest.

 **CLANG!**

"Ow! Thanks, Erza…" Naruto said through clenched teeth. "Thanks again for helping me out, Jay."

Jellal nodded. He had found the blonde moping around the town the day before, and after hearing Naruto's story, Jellal had found a cheap apartment in the same building he was staying in. They were all now standing in front of the apartment building.

"Juvia was so close to living with Naruto-Sama too…" Juvia said with tears flowing out of her eyes.

"So that's what you've been up to these past couple days…" Lucy said with a sweatdrop. That that was a close one. Lucy hadn't really thought of it, but Naruto living with her really put her at an advantage compared to the other girls. With that advantage now gone, she would have to try harder to make up for it.

"Naruto! Show us your new place!" Natsu and Happy both said as they dragged the teen away from Erza.

"O-okay okay! It's nothing special yet, I just moved in!" Naruto said before waving back to the others. "See you guys later!"

"Goodbye, happiness…" Juvia moped as she watched her beloved disappear into the building.

Erza placed a hand on the rain woman's shoulder. "I understand your feelings, Juvia. But Naruto couldn't stay in Fairy Hills."

"Hai…"

"Erza-San's right. Naruto shouldn't have been staying with a girl in the first place." Sakura said with a short nod. "I could understand at first, but it took him this long to move out?"

"Sakura-San should learn to keep her nose out of other people's business." Juvia said and crossed her arms, prompting the pink haired girl to growl in anger.

"What was that!?"

"Now now you two…" Erza said, trying to be the peacekeeper. It wouldn't be good if a fight broke out in front of Naruto and Jay's apartment building.

'Erza sure has her hands full...' Tenten thought before attempting to help her friend stop the fight.

Gray walked over to Lucy. "What are you going to do now?"

"W-what are you asking me that for?" Lucy huffed and walked into the apartment building, prompting the ice mage to snicker.

* * *

 **Later That Night…**

"See you guys tomorrow!" Naruto said as he waved his friends goodbye. Closing the door, he took in his new home. It was a simple one room apartment with a single bathroom and shower.

Opening a scroll, Naruto summoned a single cup of ramen for his dinner. After boiling some water, he poured it into the noodle cup and sat down at his small table. He just sat there and watched the cup of ramen. "I hate the time it takes for ramen to cook…"

Naruto sighed and leaned back into his chair. Looking around the empty room, he couldn't help but frown. The apartment was smaller than the one he had shared with Lucy, yet, it felt so much bigger.

* * *

Lucy was sitting at her table with, coincidently enough, a cup of ramen in front of her. She had just poured the hot water into the cup and was waiting for the noodles to cook.

The past couple days had been rather peaceful, what with Naruto being out at his new apartment. Natsu and Happy had stopped by a couple times, but they mostly went to Naruto's house to play. She also finished the draft for her novel, perhaps she'd pay the ninja a visit to show him.

Looking around her apartment, Lucy hummed in thought. "Maybe I'll invite him over for dinner tomorrow…"

* * *

 **Knock! Knock!**

Lucy's heart skipped a beat when she heard someone knock on the door. 'He's here!'

Looking over herself at a mirror and fixing a few strands of hair, Lucy blushed when she realized what she was doing. She was even wearing one of her cute black dresses. 'W-what am I doing? It's just Naruto…'

 **Knock! Knock! Knock!**

"Coming!" Lucy said and ran to the door and opened it, and Naruto was standing outside.

"Hey…" Naruto said and raised his hand rather awkwardly.

"Hey…"

They stood there for a couple seconds, before Naruto pulled something out from behind his back with his other hand. "I brought something for dinner! Don't worry, it's not ramen!"

Lucy blinked when Naruto showed her the bag of ingredients, before she burst out laughing.

Naruto blushed. "W-what's so funny?"

"Sorry, it's just… Welcome back, Naruto." Lucy said and gestured for her partner to come inside.

Naruto shortly moved back in and Lucy later retrieved all the spare keys Naruto had made to avoid another 'incident'.

* * *

 **A/N: Just an Omake idea I had for awhile that I wanted to do, not because I couldn't start the next chapter for the life of me or anything… Baka…**

 **Anyways, time for that announcement! I realized the type of chapters I enjoy writing the most are like this one! So I decided that I'm going to be making a spin-off series for The Fox Scroll.**

 **Introducing: Rock Lee and his Fairy Pals!**

… **I promise that's not the final title.**

 **But yeah, it'll be a series very much like Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals where it's a bunch of mini-shorts, references, gag jokes, and all that sort of fun stuff. Just a bunch of fun and random character interactions that I don't seem to be doing as much as I should in the main story!**

 **Example:**

 **Juvia: "But why? Why can't we be together!"**

 **Mecha-Naruto: "Because… Btzz! You short my circuits!"**

 **Juvia and Mecha-Naruto in a soap opera setting in of itself sounds hilarious! XD**

 **I'll probably write a chapter of this one in between the chapters of the main story, or when I get a serious case of the writer's block. :p**

 **If you have any ideas/suggestions for the spin-off *Cough! A title... *Cough! Then let me know!**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**

 **P.S. If you guys like music, check out my profile. I made a remix of Naruto's "Samidare" as well as Fairy Tail's "Lightning Fire Dragon Roaring" and I think they came out great. ^^**


	44. Mother's Love

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

Naruto couldn't keep the smile off his face, he was just so happy! After all, he was talking to his mother! HIS mother! The one person he had always wanted to meet more than anyone…

Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. She had violet eyes and long, beautiful red hair that went down to her waist. She was wearing a high-collared, sleeveless blouse under a long green dress.

All in all, Kushina was everything Naruto could have hoped his mother to be and more.

They were currently sitting next to each other in Naruto's now brightened mindscape. Kushina was talking about how she had been the previous Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi, and how she had lived a happy life nonetheless. She had just finished talking about the truth of the night of the Kyuubi's attack, and about the masked man who claimed to be Madara, when Mavis had showed up.

Mavis' eyes were wide. Naruto was calling to her, but the little girl was too shocked to register what he was saying. 'It's her… How is she here?'

When Mavis didn't respond, Naruto stood up and walked over to her. "Hello~ Mavis~ Are you okay?"

When Naruto waved his hand in her face, Mavis blinked a couple times before blushing. "S-sorry! I was just… Surprised to see another person in your mindscape…"

Kushina giggled. "Is this a friend of yours, Naruto?"

Naruto looked back at his mother and grinned. "Yup! This is Mavis, a really good friend of mine!"

Mavis smiled at Naruto calling her his friend, before she gave the red-haired woman a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaa-San."

'Good… looks like Naruto made some good friends.' Kushina thought and smiled at the formal greeting Mavis had given, before her eyes widened in realization. 'Wait a second… She's being awfully polite, and she called me Kaa-San… Could this girl be… Naruto's girlfriend!?'

Mavis was surprised when Kushina suddenly grabbed her hands.

"Please take care of my son." Kushina said while staring at the girl right in the eye.

"U-um… Of course! Leave it to me!" Mavis said firmly without a second thought, not catching what Kushina was really asking.

Kushina squealed and embraced the first master of Fairy Tail in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh~ You are just too cute!"

Naruto laughed at the interaction before stiffening when his mother sent him a hard look.

"Now, Naruto. Make sure to take care of this girl no matter what, you hear me?"

"R-right!" Naruto said and gave his mother a proper solute.

Mavis blinked, before a blush grew on her face when she realized what she had just agreed to do. But before she had a chance to clear the misunderstanding, she found herself on Kushina's lap.

"But still… Aren't you a little young?" Kushina asked while brushing Mavis' hair softly like a doll.

"I may look like this, but I'm really in my twenties!" Mavis said with a pout, the misunderstanding instantly forgotten. She understood why people would think she was younger, what with her having a young body that never aged, but it still irked her a little…

"No way… I never would have guessed." Kushina said before she started sweating, thinking she might have offended the girl. "I-I mean, wow! How do you do it? You look like you just became a teenager! N-not that it's a bad thing, ya know!"

"Ah! You said it again!" Naruto said and started laughing, prompting his mother to cringe when she realized her tongue slipped again.

Mavis sighed. She wasn't going to get a chance to clear the misunderstanding, was she?

After the two Uzumaki's settled down, Kushina sighed. "I'm just relieved to see you made a good friend, Naruto."

"Yup! All the other girls are super nice like Mavis too!" Naruto said, referring to the other girls he had as friends. But Kushina took it differently.

"Wait… What do you mean by 'other girls'?"

Naruto grinned as he thought of the girls he knew. "There's Lucy, Juvia-Chan, Mira-Chan, Cana, Wendy-Chan, Erza…"

Kushina's face paled as Naruto listed off his "girl friends" one by one, and even Mavis had a blush on her face.

It wasn't until Naruto mentioned he was living with Lucy when Kushina looked down at Mavis to see what her reaction was to all of this, and upon seeing the girl's blushing face, something snapped. Setting Mavis on the ground, Kushina slowly stood up. "Huh… you sure have a lot of girlfriends…"

Naruto closed his eyes and nodded happily, oblivious to the approaching storm. "Yeah… I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for them… Everyone at Fairy Tail really helped me out, ya know?"

Just as Kushina was about to unleash her wrath, she stopped right in front of her son at the unfamiliar term. "Fairy Tail?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I'm stuck in another dimension right now. I was summoned here by Lucy when she accidently used this strange fox scroll. I tried using reverse summoning with the toads to get back, but something seems to be binding me here. So, I've been staying with Lucy in the meantime. Here, this is the guild's symbol." Naruto said pointed to the insignia on his left hand.

Kushina stared at her son for a couple seconds. She blinked. She blinked twice. Thrice. Then she sat down. "You… Have a lot going on right now, Naruto…"

"It's not so bad…" Naruto said and chuckled sheepishly. "Everyone in the guild is helping me, and Kakashi-Sensei and the others found a way to hop dimensions too. So long as I got my friends, I'll be alright!"

On top of taming the strongest Tailed Beast in the elemental Nations, her son was also trying to figure out how to find a way home from another dimension. This brought a tear to Kushina's eye. Never had she wanted Naruto to live such a rough life, but she was overwhelmed with pride and joy that he had managed to come so far and make a lot of good friends.

Wiping the tear from her eye, Kushina smiled brightly at her one and only son. "Well, I don't have much time left… What do you say we finish kicking that fox's ass!"

"Yeah!" Naruto said and jumped to his feet.

"I'll go tell everyone you're okay. Goodbye, Kaa-San!" Mavis said and waved to Naruto and Kushina.

"Goodbye Mavis-Chan! Take care of my little Naruto!" Kushina said and waved back to the now blushing girl.

"Mom…" Naruto said with a sweatdrop as Mavis disappeared with a glowing blush on her face.

* * *

The nine-tailed fox struggled in the chains that kept it from moving when Naruto opened his eyes again. **"You've got some nerve keeping waiting in the middle of fight, boy…"**

Naruto didn't answer the beast, he just looked up and smiled.

 _You ready, Naruto?_

Naruto entered his magic enhanced sage mode and nodded when he heard his mother's voice in his head. Putting his hands in his favorite seal, dozens upon dozens of clones popped into existence. "Let's finish this!"

The army of clones roared and sprang into action. Half of the clones jumped towards the mighty beast with Rasengans in hand, while the other half stayed behind and grabbed onto the Kyuubi's Chakra that was still attached to Naruto.

The Rasengans expanded with natural energy, and the tailed beast watched as the giant blue spheres flew towards it.

" **Don't get cocky, Naruto!"** The Kyuubi roared and tried to swipe at the clones, but something caused its to slip and the beast fell on its back. **'The Chains!? Curse you, Kushina!'**

The clones were then able to make contact with the nine-tailed demon, and the blue explosions rocked the sewer as they pushed the fox back.

"Pull!" A clone yelled and the clones pulled on the chakra tether with all their might. But it wasn't enough as the giant fox was able to regain its footing when the explosions gave out.

Naruto wasn't through either though as a high-pitch ringing noise filled the air, and a clone landed in front of fox's face. In the clone's hands was the most powerful and explosive technique in Naruto's arsenal.

" **Futon: Rasenshuriken!"**

" **Guh!"** The Kyuubi grunted as the powerful attack exploded right in his face, and the millions upon trillions of microscopic wind blades cut his torso. **'What… is this power!?'**

"We got this!" Naruto yelled and with one final push/pull, the Kyuubi's chakra finally came loose, and the demon tumbled on the ground until it was back in its cage.

The chakra began to move into him until it was then absorbed into the blonde's body, and he began to glow a golden hue. Naruto looked at his new form in awe, it was like his entire body was covered in golden flames. He felt light, lighter than he'd ever felt before!

"… **Never had I thought… That this brat would best me…"**

Naruto looked up and grimaced at the state of the nine-tailed fox. The demon was now shriveled up, and looked like he was about to wither away any second. "…I"

" **Do not speak another blasphemous word!"** The Kyuubi's voice boomed, shaking the entire sewer. Even in its weakened state, the beast still had enough energy to create shockwaves with just its voice. **"I said that I would grant you access to my power freely if you could best me, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have been defeated…"**

Naruto's eyes widened. Was the fox saying it would work with him!? "Then does that mean-"

" **Begone! So that I may rest… I have just been robbed of some of my power and I need time to regenerate…"** The Fox barked, cutting the blonde off completely.

"Kyuubi…" Naruto said before turning around to leave, but not before he heard the demon speak again.

"… **ama…"**

"Huh?" Naruto said and turned around to face the fox again. "Did you say something, Kyuubi?"

" **Stop calling me 'Kyuubi! I was given a name by the Sage of Six Paths himself! My name is Kurama, damn it! Now get the hell out of here!"**

Naruto's eyes widened. How could he have been so stupid… Of course the fox had a name! Naruto turned around again and grinned. "Well then, Kurama… Let me know when you're better. See ya."

When the ninja disappeared, Kurama was left to ponder whether or not he had made the right choice in letting the brat know his name as he fell unconscious. **'I wonder if… This brat really is… the one the old sage was… talking… about…'**

* * *

"Wow, I didn't think the old fox had an actual name." Kushina said when Naruto opened his eyes in her part of the seal again.

"I know… I feel bad now. I never even bothered to ask…" Naruto said and frowned. He had spent his whole life hating the demon and blaming it for his hard life, but he never bothered to look at it from the fox's perspective. From what his mother had told him about the truth of the day he was born, about how the masked man had used Kurama, he could see why the fox would hate humans so much. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be cooped up in a seal for as long as the fox was, that could make anyone cranky.

Kushina smiled warmly. "Naruto… You've grown to be a fine young man. I'm proud of you."

Naruto smiled, but frowned when Kushina's form started disappearing. "Mom…"

Kushina looked at her now transparent feet. "Looks like my time is up… I can finally go to the same place as Minato."

Naruto's frown deepened. It was short lived, but he was still happy to have met his mother. "Ah, I almost forgot. Mom, do you know someone named Gale Uzumaki?" Naruto asked and Kushina gained a look of surprise.

"Gale? He's here too? Well, I suppose it only makes sense with you being the Kyuubi-er… Kurama's Jinchuuriki and all…" Kushina said with a chuckle before looking at Naruto and smiling. "Do you want to learn how to make those chakra chains?"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Hell, yeah I do!"

Kushina chuckled from her son's enthusiasm. "Then tell Gale my name, and he'll know you're ready. You should be able to do it, you are my son after all."

"Awesome… And mom, I didn't say this before but… I never blamed you or dad for the hard times I had growing up as a Jinchuuriki." Naruto said and Kushina's eyes widened. "I didn't really get it back then, I was able to manage because of my friends… But now I understand completely! My parents gave their lives for me so I could live. You guys filled me with love before you put Kurama in me. So here I am, happy and healthy!"

Kushina gasped and embraced Naruto in one last hug. "Thank you, Naruto… Thank you for being our son… I love you…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of his mother disappear. 'I love you too… Mom…'

* * *

When Naruto opened his eyes again, he cheered. "Hell, yeah! I did it!"

…

"Hm?" Standing up, Naruto looked around and found that he was alone in front of Mavis' grave. "Guys? Where are you?"

"I'm afraid your friends can't hear you."

Naruto's eyes snapped to the location of the unfamiliar voice, and his eyes widened when he saw a tall, muscular man with dark skin wearing green and orange clothing. But it wasn't the appearance of the man that surprised Naruto, it was because the man was holding an unconscious Yamato and Wendy in his hands by their necks. "Yamato-Taicho… Wendy-Chan…"

A stream of black flames hit the ground when Naruto took a step forward.

"Don't take a single step, or I'll roast ya!" A man with long and wild blonde hair said as he walked into the clearing.

'Black flames… It's just like Sasuke's Amaterasu…' Naruto thought as the newcomer began to cackle with laughter.

"Kahaha! Looks like he wet his pants at the sight of my flames!" The crazy man said before laughing some more.

"Quiet, Zancrow. This is a man that even the master is wary of." The first man said.

"Want me to roast you first, Azuma!? Huh?" Zancrow threatened angrily, his fists showcasing his rage by flaring with black flames. "We should have just roasted him while he was meditating!"

Azuma ignored the threat and turned back to Naruto. "Master Hades has plans for you, but I wanted to see what you were made of before he got here. I will spare these people's lives if you will allow me that."

'What…?' Naruto thought in confusion as his eyes darted back and forth between the two dark mages and his unconscious allies.

"That won't be necessary, Azuma." A third voice said and Naruto saw a tall, elderly man with a long beard come into view.

Naruto could sense a great deal of magic power from this man that compared to even Gildarts and Makarov. 'This is bad…'

"Hello there, Mr. Uzumaki, One Army of Fairy Tail. I am Hades, master of Grimoire Heart. I've been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time."

Azuma sighed and threw his two hostages into a tree, and the tree seemed to liquify as it wrapped around their bodies.

"Restrain him." Hades said, and both Azuma and Zancrow burst into action.

Naruto cursed when the two mages both lunged towards him at the same time. 'What the hell happened while I was fighting Kurama!?'

* * *

 **3 Hours Earlier…**

"WAHHH!" Lucy shrieked as she ran for her life from a giant lizard.

"This is… Quite unsettling." Juvia said from her spot next to the blonde.

The race to the First's grave had just begun, and they were already in trouble. Not ten steps from the camp and everyone had been attacked by giant animals.

"We can't outrun it! We have to fight!" Lucy said and Juvia nodded before the two girls skid to a stop and prepared to face their pursuer.

But before Lucy could so much as grab her key chain, Juvia was already in the air with water swirling around her right hand. When the water disappeared, her fist was covered in a rocky orange.

" **Sea Dragon's Coated Fist!"**

SMASH!

Lucy gulped as she watched the giant lizard fall to the ground unconscious. 'Note to self… Don't make Juvia mad, ever again.'

"Using this magic is quite exhausting… Juvia needs to work on improving her magic reserves." Juvia said as she walked back to her teammate. "Now… Where do you think the First's grave is?"

Lucy rubbed her chin in thought. "I have a theory…

Juvia smiled and gestured for Lucy to take the lead. "As expected of the brain of our team."

Lucy laughed and they started walking in the direction of the beach. "Then I guess that makes you the brawn."

"No, Naruto-Sama is the brawn. Juvia is the beauty, and mistress of the brawn." Juvia said while clasping her cheeks, causing the blonde to falter in her footsteps. "Ah, I hope Naruto-Sama is doing okay…"

"Knowing Naruto, he and Wendy probably already found it." Lucy said after regaining her footing. With their combined senses, she'd be surprised if they didn't find the First's grave within the first five minutes of the trial. "Well, my theory isn't a strong one but…" Her words trailed off when Juvia signaled her to be quiet.

"Someone's watching us…" Juvia said while staring off into the distance at some bushes.

Lucy grabbed her key chain in preparation for a potential fight. "How do you know?"

Instead of answering the girl directly, Juvia shouted out. "I can smell you're there, come out!"

They heard a few whispers and someone sucking their teeth before two people walked into the clearing.

"I told you this was a bad idea."

"How was I supposed to know Juvia's nose was like Natsu's?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow when she saw who it was. "Loke? Gray? What are you doing?"

* * *

"Did we lose it…?" Cana asked as she struggled to catch her breath.

"… I don't see it anymore." Lisanna replied and plopped down onto the ground in exhaustion.

Cana sighed in relief. They had been running from a giant boar for twenty minutes straight, but they had somehow managed to escape by sliding down a hill. "Well… Now what do we do?"

Lisanna took a second to think, before shaking her head in defeat. "I can't think of anything… and to think I said I'd make you an S-Class too… Sorry Cana."

Cana shook her head and smiled. "Don't be. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have made it past the first round."

Lisanna smiled back before taking on a more serious expression. "Can I ask you something personal?"

Cana raised an eyebrow from the sudden question, but nodded because she knew what this was probably going to be about.

"What do you think of Naruto-San?"

'Thought so…' Cana thought and leaned on the hillside. "To put it simply, he's fun to be around. When you're with Naruto, you're always in for a laugh. He's unpredictable."

Lisanna studied the brunette's face for any secret meaning. But as far as she could tell, Cana was telling the complete truth. "So… do you like him?"

Cana snorted at the girl's bluntness. "Naruto's a good-looking guy, I'm not gonna deny that. Those whisker marks are adorable and his reactions are priceless. But no, I don't like him the way your sister does."

Lisanna blinked. She hadn't been expecting a straight answer so easily. But was Cana really telling the truth? If Naruto really was just a fun guy that Cana liked teasing, then that would mean Lisanna wouldn't have to worry about her getting in the way of Mirajane's love.

Seeing the look on Lisanna's face, Cana rolled her eyes. "Trust me. If I really wanted Naruto, I would have had him by now." Cana said a wink.

Lisanna blushed at what Cana was referring to, but nodded nonetheless. 'I guess Cana really doesn't like Naruto-San after all…'

"What about you?" Cana asked with a mischievous smile, expecting the girl to sputter in embarrassment.

Lisanna looked at her feet and smiled sadly. "I have… Mixed feelings about Naruto-San right now. He's a really nice guy and I can tell he's sincere about caring for his friends. But… He has multiple girls after him. Mira-Nee is in love with Naruto-San as well, and he's too dense to see it. Any of it. I just don't want to see Mira-Nee get hurt…"

'That was a boring reaction…' Cana thought with a sweatdrop. She then looked up at the sky and hummed. "Why don't you just share him?"

"No!" Lisanna suddenly shouted, then blushed when Cana raised an eyebrow. "I-I mean, sharing a man is just… not right! Love should be between two people who love each other equally! There's just no way Naruto-San would be able to love Lucy, Juvia, and Mira-Nee equally!"

"But what if he could?" Cana suddenly said with a straight face.

Lisanna sent her teammate a puzzled look. "What?"

"What if he could love them all equally? I know he's pretty dense right now, but he's getting better." Cana said with a shrug. "Besides, love isn't always equal. Just look at you and Natsu. I'm sure he cares about you more than he lets on, but he doesn't seem to be interested in love right now like you are."

Lisanna opened her mouth to say Cana was wrong, but she closed it when nothing came to mind. Natsu was obsessed with training and fighting. They still went on missions as a 'family' with Happy every now and then, but not as frequently as they had in the past. "But sharing… it's impossible…"

Seeing the depressed look on the white-haired girl's face, Cana sighed and looked up at the sky through the trees. "I don't know how well you know Naruto, but that guy has proven time and time again that he can do the impossible."

"But fighting and loving are two different things."

"Are they really?" Cana said and grinned. "I don't know about you, but the guild is like a constant battlefield. Love is a battle."

Lisanna fell silent and looked down at the ground. She wanted to keep believing Mirajane sharing Naruto with other girls was wrong, but something about what Cana said was nagging at her.

Cana chuckled before standing up and dusting herself off. "Not that it has anything to do with me. How about we go and find that grave!"

Lisanna just nodded and followed her teammate, all the while going over their conversation in her head. She still didn't like the idea of Naruto being with multiple woman, but if what Cana said was true, that Naruto might be able to make everyone happy, then would it be right to keep that happiness away from them? 'I need to have a talk with Mira-Nee…'

* * *

 **Rest Stop…**

"Guuooaaahhh! This feeling brings back so many youthful memories!" Lee shouted excitedly, his eyes literally burning with passion. "The energy, the struggles, the guts, and the determination! It reminds me of the chunin exams back when we were all still genin!"

"I'm sorry, Lee-San! I lost my fight against Gray, and couldn't finish the exam like a man!" Elfman said with tears

"Do not fret, Elfman-Kun! This only means you have to train harder, for next time!" Lee said and gave the balling man a thumbs up. "I will help you in any way I can!"

Elfman sniffled. "Lee-San…"

"Youthful men!" The two buddies cheered, a new sense of fortitude giving them a surge of energy.

Evergreen shook her head as she watched Elfman and Lee cheer. 'Idiots…'

Sakura was having similar thoughts, but she turned attention away from them and looked at Hinata. The Hyūga was sitting in the corner of the tent and staring at the table in complete silence. She hadn't spoken a single word since they had showed up, which was a couple minutes after the second trial had begun. Sakura was worried about her friend, and she was furious with Naruto for the suffering he was unintentionally causing Hinata.

But the thing that pissed Sakura off the most was that she couldn't do anything about it, because involving herself would only make things worse.

"Sakura, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be okay…" Hinata suddenly said while smiling weakly, and that broke the medic ninja's heart.

But Sakura nodded, because she had decided to support Hinata's choice. No matter the outcome, she would support her friend's decision.

"Has anyone seen Erza?" Mirajane asked, causing everyone to look around for the redhead.

"Erza's not back? Wasn't she a part of the first trial?" Evergreen asked, before shuttering at the thought of running into the woman who had mercilessly defeated her in the past.

"She was… But she didn't come back when the second trial started." Mira said while tapping her chin, wondering what her friend was up to. It wasn't like Erza to disappear so suddenly, especially during the S-Class trials.

"Then perhaps I should go and find her!" Lee said before he turned to Sakura and bowed. "Sakura-San, would you like to join me?"

Sakura was about to say she wanted to stay when Hinata grabbed her hand. "Hinata?"

"Something might have happened, you should go to make the search faster." Hinata said and gave her friend a look that said: 'I'll be fine'.

Sakura frowned, but reluctantly nodded and followed the oblivious boy out of the tent. "We'll be back soon."

Mirajane waved goodbye before glancing back at Hinata, who had gone back to staring at the table in silence. They may have had a few clashes over their affection for Naruto, but Mira was still worried about her. That's why she was going to try and talk to her, because they were still friends.

* * *

"I've spotted two people…"

"…"

"Kakashi-Sensei?"

"… _Oh, sorry. I was a bit distracted... Who do you see?"_

Tenten sighed. She and Kakashi had been tasked with watching over the contestants as they tried to find the grave. They had been told where the grave was, and were supposed to get in their way if they strayed too far from the goal. But it was difficult with just the two of them, especially when Kakashi kept going silent for some reason.

"I see Levy and Gajeel. They're climbing up a cliff."

"… _Copy that. Are they going in the right direction?"_

Tenten's lips twitched upwards. "Nope."

" _That's too bad… Oh, I see someone going in the wrong way as well. Maybe we should point them in the right direction?"_

"Rodger that."

With that said, Tenten began to move closer towards her targets. Leaping from tree to tree, she stopped on a branch that was a couple meters away from the cliff.

"Ow!"

"Hey, watch it! You're gonna fall!"

Levy and Gajeel were at the top of the cliff cliff when one of the rocks the girl had grabbed onto had broken off. Luckily, Gajeel had been fast enough to grab a hold of Levy's hand before she fell.

Levy sighed, the fall could have been fatal. "Thanks-Wah!" She screamed when Gajeel suddenly threw her up and onto the top, and she fell on her butt as he pulled himself up.

"Can you move?" Gajeel asked while lifting the girl off the ground like a ragdoll.

"Stop picking me up like I'm a toy!" Levy yelled as she kicked the air fruitlessly

Gajeel sucked his teeth and placed the petite girl on the ground, only to sling her over his shoulder when an object embed itself in the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Levy cried out as she frantically tried to keep her skirt from revealing too much.

Gajeel looked at the object, then at the forest. "Hah! You missed!"

Swish!

Three more kunai burst through the bushes towards them at blinding speeds. Gajeel side stepped the first one, blocked the second one with his fist, and caught the third one in his teeth.

"Thanks for the snack!" Gajeel taunted again as he began to munch on his metal treat.

"What is going on?" Levy asked when she understood the situation.

"Must be part of the trial. She's tryin to scare us away from this place." Gajeel said

"She?" Levy asked with a raised eyebrow, before she growled in frustration. "And would you put me down already! I'm not helpless!"

Gajeel gained a feral grin as he put his teammate down again. "Gihihi… This is going to be interesting."

* * *

Kakashi switched his earpiece off and placed it in one of his jacket's pockets. 'Now then… Why don't I see what you're up to?'

Hopping down, Kakashi landed in front of the person he had been following them. The man had black hair and was wearing a black cloak with a white strap. The man seemed surprised to see him.

"I don't think you're a part of the guild. Mind telling me what you're doing here?" Kakashi asked the intruder evenly.

"You're… a person? There are people on this island?" The man asked and took a step back, his eyes growing wider.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. 'Who is this man…?'

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thank you Redlox2 for your continued support in being my beta! I couldn't have gotten this far without ya!**

 **Cana says she doesn't like Naruto, but could there be a hidden meaning behind her words? I'll leave that for you guys to decide. ;)**

 **To think Kurama's the reason Mavis knew how the Jinchuuriki process worked. That old fox isn't being very honest, is he? :p**

 **Naruto meets his mom, and it seems she knows who Gale is! Naruto's going to be learning a lot of stuff in the future…**

 **Grimoire Heart strikes, and they're after Naruto! But how did it all start? Find out in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	45. The Trials Abrupt Ending

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

Gajeel charged straight into the forest with a feral grin on his face. He knew it would be okay to leave Levy by herself now that he knew who their attacker was.

"Gajeel!" Levy yelled as she watched her teammate leave her behind. Pouting, she followed the iron eater into the forest. She wasn't going to let Gajeel keep thinking she was useless in a fight!

"Come on out!" Thrusting his arm forward, Gajeel's arm changed into an iron pillar. The pillar then extended forward, smashing through the massive trees with ease.

A silhouette jumped away from the destruction towards another tree as Gajeel retracted his arm.

"Gotcha!" Gajeel said and thrust his other arm forward, aiming the iron pillar at the tree the silhouette was going towards.

Crash!

Gajeel's attack smashed through the tree, just barely missing its true target.

'That was close…!' Tenten thought as she flew away from the extended pillar arm. She glanced at Gajeel and found him staring right at her, with a growing smirk on his face. 'What is he… Uh oh!'

A second pillar sprung out of the original and straight towards Tenten, surprising the girl. But her surprise quickly turned into a frown when she saw it was another pillar.

'That punk… He's holding back!' Tenten thought as she pushed off the second pedestal with her feet, and harmlessly landed in a grassy field. She then sent a glare to the iron dragon slayer as he walked into the clearing.

"What's with the look?" Gajeel asked with a knowing smirk on his face.

"You could have ended it already if you used something other than that stupid club!" Tenten ranted, and Gajeel picked at his ear in response. 'You little…!'

"Gajeel! Let me help!" Levy said when she finally caught up to the two, only to stop when Gajeel put a hand out.

"Watch it. She may not look it, but she's actually really fast." Gajeel said, prompting the kunoichi to frown.

"I'm right here, you know?"

Ignoring the girl, Gajeel continued. "She can also summon a bunch of weapons with those scrolls, like Erza's magic. She mainly likes to play at a distance, but don't let that fool you. She's just as good with her weapons up close as she is from a distance."

Levy nodded before looking at her teammate. "How do you know so much about Tenten's techniques?"

Gajeel grunted, never taking his eyes off his opponent. "Because I trained with her during this past week."

 **Flashback…**

It was the day after Makarov had announced the exams. Gajeel was standing in the middle of Naruto's usual training grounds, expecting the blonde to show up to accept the challenge Gajeel had given him the day before.

"Is Naruto really going to show up?" Panther Lily asked with an incredulous tone. What he had learned about Gajeel and Naruto's relationship, was that Gajeel was constantly challenging the ninja. The only problem was the blonde would never respond to the challenges and would sometimes even claim to forget about them. The former commander heard something happened between the two in the past, and assumed was the reason Gajeel was so keen on defeating Naruto.

"He'll show. I have a feeling he will this time." Gajeel said without even looking at his cat. But little did Gajeel know, was that Naruto was no longer in town, having long forgotten about the challenge.

So, they waited.

But after the fourth hour of waiting, Juvia showed up in the training field.

"Oh, if Gajeel-Kun is waiting for Naruto-Sama, he went on a trip to Margaret Town with Lucy and Cana-San." Juvia said casually as she passed the dark clad man and the black cat.

"…Grrrrrrraahh! Damn you Uzumaki!" Gajeel roared to the sky before stomping back to town.

"I don't know what you expected. This isn't the first time Naruto has failed to respond to your challenges." Lily said with a shake of his head. But this did upset the older cat. He respected Naruto for fighting off an entire army almost single handedly, an army that was filled with soldiers Lily had personally trained himself.

But not taking a warrior's challenge seriously was the same as spitting in their face. 'Perhaps I should speak with Naruto after the trials to put an end to this…'

'Damn that guy… When is Naruto going to take me seriously!?' Gajeel thought as he stormed through the town in the direction of the guild. If Naruto wasn't going to come to him, Gajeel would wait at the guild and force the cheeky ninja into fight when he returned from his trip.

Gajeel was so absorbed in his dark thoughts that he almost bumped into Rock Lee, Elfman, Natsu, and Happy when they ran passed him. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Yosh! Now that we had lunch, I feel like I now have the energy to three times as much as we did yesterday!" Lee exclaimed and proceeded to jump into the air, land on his hands, and continue to walk in a handstand.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna do twice as much as that!" Natsu declared and went into a handstand as well, but then put one of his hands behind his back. He then began to clumsily hop forward with his hand.

Lee grinned at Natsu's performance. "Your willpower is inspiring as ever, Natsu-Kun! Very well then! I shall join you and travel to the training field on one hand as well!"

"I-I'm going to fly with only one wing!" Happy said and one of his wings disappeared. The blue cat almost fell to the ground, but he managed to keep himself afloat with a bit of effort.

Not wanting to be left behind, Elfman quickly jumped on his hands as well. But he rushed into using one hand, which caused the giant to lose his balance and fall flat on his back. "Guh…! Damn it…"

"Haha! I'm gonna beat you guys to the field!" Natsu said and picked up his pace, only to slip on his hand and fall on his face. "Ow!"

Lee stopped and looked back at his friend. "Don't give up, Elfman-Kun! It's not over until you give up!"

"Lee-San…" Elfman said before he gripped his fist. "As a man, I can't afford to give up so easily!"

Lily grinned at the scene. "Seems like those four are doing well."

Gajeel put his hands into his pockets before walking off, and Lily sighed before following the dragon slayer.

They were about halfway to the guild when a voice came from the rooftops.

"Ah, Gajeel! Wait a second!"

Gajeel looked up just in time to see Tenten jump down from the building and onto the ground in front of him. "What do you want? I'm in a hurry."

'Doesn't waste any time as usual…' Tenten thought with a bitter smile before she shook her head and looked around. "Have you seen Lee and the others around here? I'm supposed to be watching over them and I lost track of them…"

"Haven't seen 'em." Gajeel said and brushed passed the kunoichi without a second thought.

'That little…' Tenten thought with a clenched fist, and she was about to cut her losses and leave when Lily spoke up.

"I would assume the training fields would be a good place to start your search." Lily said and pointed behind him towards the outskirts of town.

Tenten blinked before letting out a sigh. "Right… I probably should have tried there first. It's just that Lee has been doing a bunch of his weird training exercises around the town lately and… You know what, never mind. Thanks, Lily." Tenten said before walking off to find her team member, but not before glancing back at Gajeel and sticking her tongue out.

Lily couldn't help but chuckle at the kunoichi's antics. He then summoned his wings and made his way back to Gajeel's side via Aera. "Are you sure that was wise to anger her like that? She is one of Naruto's friends."

Gajeel grunted and waved cat off. "Bah! She may be from his world, but that woman isn't anywhere near Uzumaki's…" Gajeel's words trailed off as he suddenly slowed to a stop.

"Gajeel?" Lily asked and looked back at his partner, and raised an eyebrow when Gajeel starting smiling.

"Gihihi… I just got an idea." Gajeel said with a feral grin on his face, one that made Lily worry.

* * *

"Huh? You want me to tell you how to beat Naruto?" Tenten asked with an amused look on her face. She had been sitting on a boulder in the middle of a field while watching Lee and the others train when Gajeel had suddenly show up and asked her what Naruto's weaknesses were.

"Yeah. You gotta know something, being his friend and all." Gajeel said with his arms crossed.

Tenten's eyebrow twitched. Gajeel had some nerve asking for her help when he had literally just blown her off when she asked where Lee was. 'But… He does have something I want…'

Lily sighed. To think Gajeel would go as far as to ask one of Naruto's friends for his weaknesses. He really needed to ask Naruto to spar with Gajeel.

"Well if you want my advice, I'd say the best strategy in fighting Naruto would be to put him under constant pressure. Everyone know that he uses Shadow Clones, and they are the main aspect of his fighting style. So if you can pressure him enough to the point where he can't summon any clones, it might give you an opportunity to land a good hit." Tenten explained.

Gajeel hummed in thought as he played out various scenarios in his head, all of which was him coming out on top.

"That's why my teammates are really good matchups against Naruto."

"Teammates?" Gajeel asked. He knew Lee was a part of Tenten's team back in the Elemental Nations, but hearing that she had another teammate that could hold his own against Naruto spiked his interest.

Tenten nodded. "Neji is my other teammate. He's a prodigy of the Hyūga clan and is the only Jonin of our group. If you were to ask who was the strongest on my team, I would say Neji holds that spot."

'Stronger than this guy!?' Gajeel thought with wide eyes as he turned to look at the green ninja, who was currently doing pushups with a boulder strapped to his back. Gajeel had watched the fight between Naruto and Lee, and the bushy-browed teen was no pushover. The thought of there being another person around Naruto's level was unnerving.

Lily was having similar thoughts, having seen the aftermath of said fight. H then turned his attention back to Tenten, who was smirking at Gajeel's reaction. 'Perhaps this woman has a hidden strength as well?'

"You know… I've trained with those two every day for years. Maybe I can help you train? In exchange, you can show how you change your body into weapons?" Tenten asked with a cute smile.

"No. You wouldn't be able to learn my magic even if you tried." Gajeel said before turning around to leave.

"Somehow, I get the feeling you think I'm weak." Tenten said with a twitching eyebrow before she stood up. "You know what? Let's have a sparring match."

Gajeel looked back and sent the brunette a flat look. "Huh…?"

Tenten hopped down from the boulder and brushed herself off. "You heard me. Let's have a sparring match. I'll prove to you that I'm not weak. If I do, then will you show me how you change your body into weapons?"

Gajeel thought about it for a second, before he shrugged. "Fine then. You want to tangle with me that badly, I'll humor you. Let's see what you got."

Tenten nodded and pulled out one of her scrolls. She opened the scroll and in a cloud of smoke, a long bo staff speared in her hands.

"You're gonna fight me… With a stick?" Gajeel asked before barking out with laughter. "I can EAT iron! I AM iron! What's a stick gonna do to me?"

Tenten smirked and spun her staff in her hands a few times before pointing it at the iron dragon slayer challengingly.

"Fine. Have it your way." Gajeel said with a shrug and ran towards Tenten with the intention to snap her staff on two. But just as he reached the girl and swung his fist, Tenten disappeared from his field of view and he felt something slam into his lower back.

Gajeel shuttered as an unpleasant shiver went up his spine. He then turned around to find Tenten in the same position, only her smirk was wider. This caused Gajeel to growl with anger and he reached his hands out to grab the girl, but pulled them back in pain when Tenten smacked him in two quick successions.

Growing frustrated, Gajeel transformed his leg into an iron pillar and slid it horizontally on the ground in an attempt to catch her off guard with the sudden range and sweep her off her feet. Tenten leaped forward and thrust the tip of her bo staff into Gajeel's transformed leg, forcing it into the ground and pinning it there. She then used the momentum in her strike to flip herself over the boy.

When Gajeel pulled his leg free and whirled around, he felt a stinging sensation in his legs and his world went upside down. The next thing Gajeel knew was that he was on his back and staring up at the sky in confusion. "…What?"

'I see…That's what she's doing.' Lily thought as he watched the dragon slayer jump back up.

Checking himself over, Gajeel felt that he wasn't all that hurt. Slightly winded, but mostly uninjured. "Oi!? Are you messing with me!? I thought you said we were gonna fight!"

Tenten placed the staff on the back of her neck and smiled. "I am fighting you; with my weapon. This is how you fight with a bo staff."

Gajeel ground his teeth and glowered at the kunoichi. "That didn't count! Let's go again!"

 **Twenty Minutes Later…**

Gajeel was hunched over, hands on his knees, and panting like he had just run a marathon. His opponent on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. "How are you… not tired…?"

"I train with THAT every day." Tenten said flatly and pointed to her green clad teammate. During the duration of their sparing match, Lee had set up a bunch of chopped logs to fight on and was currently fighting against both Natsu and Elfman simultaneously.

Gajeel watched as his fellow mages struggled to keep their balance as he caught his breath before he sat down in the grass, all the while Lee was nimbly jumping across the logs and knocking the two boys down with ease. "Is everyone from your world monsters?"

Tenten laughed awkwardly. ", but don't cut yourself short. You have a lot of strength. To be honest, it probably would have been lights out for me if you landed any of your serious attacks. But like I see with Natsu when he spars with Lee, your techniques lack refinedness… Great. Now I'm starting to sound like Guy-Sensei…" Tenten said with an image of her instructor giving her a thumbs up in her mind, which caused her to shudder. She then coughed into her hand to get the image out of her head. "To put it bluntly, you're just wildly swinging your weapons around and wearing yourself out as a result."

Lily, who had been watching on a nearby boulder, nodded his head in agreement. 'She was leading Gajeel around the whole time, and led him into burning more energy than he should have by frustrating him. This woman is a skilled warrior, I'll have to ask for a sparring match myself sometime.'

"Comparing me to the Salamander…" Gajeel all but spat as he watched the pink haired teen trip and painfully fall into the log pillars again. But as much as he detested it, Tenten was right. He hadn't taken the time to hone his skills with a sword, or any other weapon for that matter. He was a street brawler, and a damn good one at that.

"But still… You have the ability transform your body into any weapon, and all you have to do is use a little imagination!" Tenten said, her eyes glowing with excitement. "With an ability like that and enough training, you have the potential to surpass even Erza-San… Maybe. Beating Erza-San would take a lot more just normal training."

"You speak very highly of Erza. But I guess it's only natural, as you both seem to be very fond of weapons." Lily said with a short nod.

"Of course! Erza-San is one of the people I admire the most, next to Tsunade-Sama! What makes Erza-San so powerful is the way she utilizes her weapons and armor! From swords, to battle axes, Erza-San always has another weapon to catch her opponent off-guard." Tenten exclaimed with a bright smile. "But best of all, she's fashionable in all of her armor!"

"Fighting someone who can fight in different styles is formidable." Lily agreed, remembering his past sparring matched with the Erza of his world.

As Tenten and Lily talked about the red headed knight, Gajeel looked at his fingers and focused. Hearing that he could surpass one of Fairy Tail's monsters made him want to try what Tenten said. 'I've never bothered to try using anything other than a sword or a club for my transformations… Maybe if I did learn to use a couple more weapons…'

Gajeel's fingers became coated in his iron scales and began to change shape. But after a couple seconds, he gave up and his fingers reverted to normal. "Gah! I can't think of anything!"

Thud!

Gajeel opened his eyes to see a kunai sticking in the ground in front of him. Pulling the knife out of the ground, he looked up to see Tenten looking down at him.

"Try turning your fingers into-Hey! Don't eat it!" Tenten shrieked when Gajeel started gnawing on the kunai. Sighing, Tenten pulled out another kunai and handed it to the dragon slayer. "Don't eat this one."

Gajeel looked at the kunai in his hand before looking at his other hand. Burning the image of the kunai in his mind, he began to change his index finger until it was roughly shaped into a knife.

"Close, but not quite a kunai. Try to make the transformation more specific."

"Easier said than done."

"Well maybe if you explained how you transform your body into iron, I could help a little better…"

Gajeel grunted. "Fine. I just think of my arm turning into a club and "boom!", it happens."

Tenten's jaw dropped. "What kind of explanation was that!?"

"It's hard to explain, damn it!"

Lily sighed. This was going to be a long week.

 **End Flashback…**

"You trained with her?" Levy asked, surprised to hear that someone like Gajeel trained with anyone other than 'his' cat Lily.

"We did, and this guy thinks he's _so_ good now that he can hold back against me." Tenten said while sending the raven-haired teen a heated look.

Gajeel let out a dark chuckle. "Gihihi… You want me to go all out? Are you sure you can handle the new me, _sensei_?"

Tenten stamped the ground in frustration at Gajeel mockingly calling her his master. "Ooooooh! Why are you so aggravating all the time!?"

Levy pouted slightly. Something about the way Gajeel and Tenten were acting was making her angry.

"Alright, cut the crap. Tell us where the grave is." Gajeel said, now serious.

Tenten smirked. "You want the information? Come and get it."

"Let me help-" Levy said and prepared to use her script magic, but Gajeel waved her off.

"Stay back. She's too much for you, little one. I'll get the information out of her."

 _Little one…_

"Of course… I'm small and weak…" Levy looked down at her feet and frowned. For a second, and only a second, she thought Gajeel actually cared about her.

Gajeel cracked his knuckles and took a step forward. "Now, I'll ask you again. Where's the-"

"Ahhh! I don't care anymore! Gajeel, you idiot!" Levy suddenly yelled and took off running into the forest.

"What did you-Hey!" Gajeel shouted back and was about to chase after the girl, but he looked back at Tenten. "Wait here."

Tenten snickered as she watched the iron dragon slayer run into the forest. 'Well, they're going in the right direction now. Maybe I'll go meet up with Kakashi-Sensei…'

As the kunoichi decided what she was going to do next, two dark figures walked into the field behind her.

* * *

" _I know! We'll call you Scarlet, like your hair!"_

Erza was sitting on a boulder near a cliff, her chin rested on her knees as she hugged her legs. She was gazing at the landscape near while reminiscing on the past. Or more specifically, her fondest memories.

The time that Jellal had suggested the name Scarlet was one of her most precious memories, if not her fondest. Because it was at a time where Jellal had been the kind person she had come to know… and love.

But…

" _Do you like Naruto-San?"_

Lisanna's question had shaken her.

It wasn't like Erza hated Naruto. In fact, he was one of the people she respected the most. Naruto was kind, kind enough to spare and even help a former enemy. Going as far as to saving Jellal despite everything that had happened. It was something not even she was able to do. He was strong, perhaps even stronger than the master himself.

Erza felt a great sense of gratitude towards the blonde, but was that all there was to it? Was all she felt towards Naruto simply gratitude? She hadn't thought of the possibility of these feelings until now.

But if she really did love Naruto…

"Then why do I feel so guilty…?" Erza said as the breeze picked up, and her bangs flew into her face.

BOOM!

"…!"

A tremor shook the cliffside, and Erza was instantly on her feet. Scanning the forest bellow for signs of an explosion, she saw a dark cloud of smoke rising in the distance.

But that wasn't all. Erza's eyes widened when a chunk of the forests literally decayed right before her eyes. That was not a good sign.

'Why do I get the feeling that's not part of the exam…?' Erza thought with a grim expression before changing into her battle armor. She could sort out her feelings later. Right now, her family needed her.

* * *

'Well that was… close…' Kakashi thought to himself, his visible eye wide with surprise. He was prying information out of the intruder when the strange man suddenly started screaming. Kakashi's senses alerted him just in time to get away when a foul energy surged from the man.

Kakashi was now standing in the middle of a dead forest, with the strange man clutching his head while shaking uncontrollably. Seeing the once lush forest now lifeless was unnerving. 'He didn't seem to want to use that power… Can he not control it?'

Kakashi pulled up his headband, revealing his gifted Sharingan. "I'm only going to ask you one last time. Who are you?"

The man stopped shivering and looked up at the jōnin and upon seeing the crimson doujutsu, his eyes widened. "T-that eye…"

Kakashi sighed, this man was clearly insane. 'I'll just have to incapacitate him and-'

"You're from the other world, aren't you?"

Kakashi's eyes widened. 'His tone just completely flipped! This guy's dangerous…'

"…You know of the other world?"

Tears began to form in the cloaked man's eyes. "Then… Is it here? On this island?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. 'Is he after the Kyuubi?'

"Get back, Kakashi."

Kakashi's eyes widened once again when he heard a familiar voice, and he whirled around. "You! What are you doing here?"

Standing at the edge of the decayed forest, was Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

 **With Tenten…**

Right after Gajeel had left, two goons had popped out of the forest and tried to ambush Tenten with a barrage of exploding eggs. Luckily, she had noticed in time and dodged before she threw a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it to get some distance. When the explosion faded, she got a full look at her attackers. "…Animal people?"

The person on the left was a humanoid chicken with white feathers all over his body, and the other was a goat man wearing samurai armor. Both had a distinctive insignia on their forms that Tenten recognized.

"That mark… Grimoire Heart." Tenten said and pulled out a kunai. She, along with the other Konoha ninja, had been gathering as much information on this world during as they could. The dark guilds had been one of the first things they learned about due to their apparent interest in Naruto and the Kyuubi.

These men with animal traits were Yomazu and Kurazu of Grimoire Heart, one of the top three dark guilds of the Balam Alliance.

Yomazu(the goat man) grinned. "So, you noticed us at the last second. But it changes nothing. We have been ordered to hunt the Fairies here."

"Pepepe… Now die!" Kurazu(the chicken man) chimed and spread his arms wide. As he did do, another barrage of egg bombs.

"You think that trick will work this time?" Tenten said and threw another explosive tag, which canceled the birdman's attack. She was then forced to jump back when the samurai lunged towards her through the smoke.

Kicking into the air, Tenten pulled out a scroll and opened it. In a cloud of smoke, dozens of weapons began to pour out of the scroll. From kunai to spiked metal balls, the dangerous weapons began to rain down on her opponents.

"Pepepe! She can summon this many weapons at once!?" Kurazu screeched in surprise as he tried to avoid being impaled and/or crushed, but was slammed in the back of the head by an iron ball and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Hmph!" Yomazu grunted as he worked his sword furiously to fend off the weapon hailstorm, but the amount of weapons was too great for him and a couple managed to scrape pieces of his armor. Looking at his damaged armor and now unconscious teammate, the goat man frowned. "Looks like I can't waste any time with this one."

'That's one down…' Tenten thought as she landed on the ground, before she covered her ears in pain when a terribly loud screeching noise started ringing. 'W-what is this sound!?'

Forcing her eyes open, Tenten saw the word "Gō" suspended in the air. 'Is this… His magic!? Wait, where did he go!?' She turned around just in time to see the dark mage getting kicked in the face by a sandaled foot.

" **Dynamic Entry!"** Rock Lee shouted as he sent the Samurai flying into a tree. Landing in front of his teammate, the green clad ninja gave a thumbs up. "Are you okay, Tenten?"

"What?"

"I said: ARE YOU OKAY?"

"LEE, I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THAT GUY'S MAGIC!"

"WHAT?"

The deafening sound stopped.

"I SAID I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THAT GUY'S… magic…" Tenten trailed off when she saw Levy and Gajeel, along with Sakura behind her teammate. Levy had just canceled out the noise with her solid script magic.

"Damn, what're you going on about?" Gajeel asked with a grumpy voice, upset that he not only missed out on his fight with Tenten, but with the two people that attacked her as well.

Tenten's cheeks burned when she saw that everyone was looking at her weirdly. "S-shut up!"

"These marks… These guys are from Grimoire Heart!" Levy said as she inspected the two dark mages, but she jumped back in surprise when Yomazu started laughing.

"Hahaha… Though we may have fallen, you won't stand a chance against our main forces!"

"Main forces?" Sakura asked, a bad feeling growing in her gut. If Grimoire Heart was here, and they brought their main forces, it could only mean one thing.

They were after Naruto.

"Yes… They are mages that even I can't compare too. The seven kin of Purgatory! Hahaha-Guh!"

"That's enough out of you." Sakura said after knocking the samurai unconscious. "Okay, first we tie these guys up. Then, we gotta warn the others and find Naruto."

"Right! Knowing Naruto-Kun, he is probably already at the goal! I will go warn him at once!" Lee said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"I'll go with Lee, you guys go meet up with the others." Tenten said and took off into the forest to try and catch up with her teammate.

Sakura nodded before turning to Levy and Gajeel. "Sorry, but if what these guys say is true… Things are about to get ugly."

Levy nodded, while Gajeel folded his arms in frustration.

"Tch! Why is everyone getting in the way of my fights!"

* * *

 **A/N: Poor Gajeel… :p**

 **With this chapter, I wanted to show two things…**

 **1\. That there are things happening outside of Naruto and his group. Lol**

 **2\. That the Konoha ninja aren't overpowered in the slightest and are vulnerable to magic. Tenten is strong and I wanted to prove that, since she comes off as one of the weaker ninja of the Konoha 12… But if she, and the other ninja, fall prey to some of the magic in Fairy Tail, they'll be in trouble. ;)**

 **Sasuke makes his appearance! What is he doing on the island? O.o**

 **As always, be sure to review or P.M. me if you have any questions/comments/concerns/ideas for the spin-off!**

 **Speaking of which, I'm going to be working on the first chapter(kinda) of the spinoff now! I've decided the title is going to be: "The Lost Scrolls".**

 **So look forward to that! ^^**

 **Alright, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	46. Enemies Incoming, Allies Unite!

The Fox Scroll

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

 **A/N: Thank you waa7x sooo much for the cover at!**

* * *

Somewhere off the coast of Tenrou Island, two cats could be seen flying through the air at a decent speed.

"Are you sure it was okay to follow them here?" Lily asked, but his words fell onto deaf ears. The older cat shook his head. Ever since they had left, Carla hadn't spoken a single word. She seemed to be worried about something and had refused to talk about it.

As the island came into view, Carla frowned. 'Even though I was against it, that girl…'

The night before exams, Carla had confronted Wendy for the first time in a week. She had tried to convince the little girl to stay one last time, but Wendy had been adamant on going and they ended up arguing again.

But later that night, Carla had foreseen another vision. A vision that had left her shaking the rest of the night.

Carla had seen Naruto grinning madly with eyes like a demon, and the bodies of the guild members were scattered all around him.

'…I can't let Wendy stay near him. That beast is too dangerous!'

* * *

Kakashi's mind raced as several questions popped up, but he asked the most obvious one. "Sasuke… What are you doing here?"

Sasuke's didn't even bother to answer his past mentor as he continued to stare down his target.

While making sure to keep the Uchiha in his peripheral vision, Kakashi looked at the third person present. 'Is Sasuke after this person?'

The darkly robed man in question was still crying what looked to be tears of joy.

"Finally… Finally… Now I can finally be at peace!"

Sasuke drew his sword and pointed it at the hysterical man, and Kakashi tensed. "Zeref. I'm taking you with me."

'Zeref!? The one who made the scroll that brought Naruto to this world!?'

But that shouldn't be possible. Zeref was a man who brought terror to this world over four hundred years ago.

Kakashi needed to retreat if possible and tell the others of Sasuke's appearance. Sasuke was still wearing the Akatsuki cloak, meaning he was still with them. Kakashi knew he couldn't fight him alone so his best option was to escape when the opportunity presented itself.

"…N-no! My time has finally come! I must find the one that will put me to rest!" The cloaked man screamed before running into the forest.

Kakashi took that moment as his que to escape. But just as he turned to jump, Sasuke was already behind him with his Sharingan activated.

"!"

Kakashi tried to advert his eyes, but it was too late. He was trapped in Sasuke's genjutsu.

So, the only think Kakashi could do now was wait for his end.

…

When the end didn't come, Kakashi opened his eyes to see Sasuke staring at him blankly. 'Is he going to get information out of me first?'

Seeing the confusion in the jōnin's eyes, Sasuke spoke. "Zetsu is watching me, so I pulled you into my genjutsu. We need to talk."

* * *

Pop!

"There." Sakura said after shooting a red flare into the air. Now everyone who saw the flare will know of the enemies on the island.

"What should we do first?" Levy asked.

Sakura thought about their situation. Lee and Tenten were going to look for Naruto, and the rest of the contestants were likely spread around the island. At the moment, the smartest thing for them to do would be to go back to the resting area and count heads. They could come up with another plan when everyone was grouped up.

"Isn't it obvious? We get out there and bash some heads!" Gajeel said while cracking his knuckles. It was safe to he was eager for a fight, what with all his recent battles being cut short.

"No. For now we should group up with the others and come up with a plan together. We don't know how many enemies we're dealing with, so it would be safer to stick together." Sakura said while looking directly at Gajeel.

Gajeel sucked his teeth and turned to leave and look for the enemy regardless. He came to this island to fight anyway, what was there to plan other than beat the living snot out the dark mages?

"Wait, Gajeel! What Sakura-San said is right! You heard what that guy said about Grimoire Hearts main forces coming, so we really should stick together!" Levy said in attempt to keep Gajeel from leaving on his own.

"Tch! Fine. Have it your way." Gajeel finally said, and the three set off for the resting area to group up with the others.

* * *

 **Mavis' Grave…**

"Enemies!? Here!?" Makarov said as he, Yamato, and Wendy all stared at the red flare in the sky.

"Now of all times…" Yamato said and looked as Makarov put his formal attire.

Wendy glanced at Naruto, who was still in his meditative position. "What should we do, master? Naruto-San probably needs more time."

"You two stay here and protect Naruto. I will confront the enemy." Makarov said and glared in the direction of the beach. He could feel a powerful magical presence there, and he assumed it was the enemy.

Yamato nodded, before he clapped his hands together and molded some chakra.

Wendy's eyes widened when wood began to sprout out of the shinobi's body, forming an exact replica of the man before gaining color as well. "Is that like Naruto-San's clones?"

"Yes, but not quite. My wood clones are more durable than Naruto's Shadow Clones, and they can take a few hits before dispelling. I'm also able to communicate with the clone, so take it with you Makarov-Dono."

Makarov nodded his head gratefully. "Thank you, Yamato-San. Let us be off then. It's time I teach these enemies what happens when you attack Fairy Tail's holy land."

As Makarov and the wood clone walked into the jungle, Yamato turned to Wendy.

"In order for my clone to function best, I need to really focus on the jutsu. So I'll need you to keep watch for enemies, okay?"

Wendy nodded affirmatively. "Right!"

Yamato smiled and looked at Naruto. 'You made some good friends her, Naruto.'

From the looks of how Naruto's body had been going in and out of Sage mode, and he hadn't been taken over by the Kyuubi, that must mean he defeated the tailed beast. But if that was the case, then why was he taking so long to wake up?

* * *

"Eh? A red flare?"

"…Enemies?"

Lucy and Juvia both looked at each other with troubled looks.

"Well if there's an enemy on the island, then that means the exams will be put on hold." Gray said, before flinching when Juvia pointed at him.

"Gray-San never said why he and Loke-San were in the bushes. Care to explain?"

Gray began to sweat. He did NOT want to get on Juvia's bad side again. "Y-you see… That's because-"

"We were following-Mmf." Loke started saying, but was quickly silenced by Gray.

"Just a coincidence! A coincidence!"

"Heh~" Lucy said with wry smile on her face, having a good idea as to why Gray and Loke had been following them. She then looked at her teammate and raised an eyebrow when she saw Juvia trembling.

"Juvia?"

"C-could it be… That Gray-San has… Fallen for Juvia!?"

 **Juvia's Imagination…**

Juvia had her back to a wall as Gray stood dangerously close, with his hand on the wall next to her head to prevent her from leaving.

"G-Gray-San… You can't! Juvia belongs to Naruto-Sama…" Juvia said, but her words trailed off when Gray brought a finger to her lips to hush her.

"Naruto's too busy flirting with those other girls, he doesn't give you the attention you truly deserve. Now come, let me freeze your water with my ice…"

"N-no…"

 **Reality…**

"What!?" Lucy and Gray both screamed, while Loke was nodding his head in approval.

Juvia turned around and clasped her blushing cheeks. "Now it all makes sense…"

"What makes sense you crazy woman!? How did you come to that conclusion?" Gray demanded before shaking his head and dropping the subject. "No, never mind. This isn't the time for that. It sucks but if there's an enemy on the island, the exam will likely be put on hold. So we need to go meet up with the others."

Shaking off her surprise as well, Lucy nodded in agreement. "Gray's right. Let's stick together though, to be safe."

"Don't worry Lucy~ Should an enemy attack, I'll protect you with my love!" Loke exclaimed while bowing to the celestial mage.

"Thanks, Loke…" Lucy said with a sweatdrop, before she looked at the red flare in the sky and frowned. 'I hope Naruto is okay…'

But as the group of four began to walk in the direction of the resting area, small bubbles could be seen floating down above them. If you looked closely, tiny people with weapons ready could be seen inside those bubbles.

* * *

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Cana exasperated as she and Lisanna watched the flare flicker in the sky.

Lisanna looked at Cana, and the growing frown on the girl's face. The exams must have meant a whole lot more to Cana than she had been letting off. "We're almost there… I can feel it! Do you want to just continue and…"

"No… It's alright. It won't matter anymore; the master is probably going to suspend the exams. Let's just head back to the others."

Lisanna hung her head down in shame. "Sorry, Cana… Maybe if you had a different partner…"

"No, I don't think the results would have changed no matter who was my partner… Thank you for getting me this far, Lisanna." Cana said with a sad smile, before that smile broke down into a frown and the brunette began to walk back to the resting area.

'Cana… Just what did this exam mean to you?' Lisanna thought to herself as she followed her teammate. She wanted to ask, but the look on Cana's face shut down her courage.

* * *

"Oh my, it seems there are enemies on the island." Mirajane said as she looked outside of the tent.

"Enemies? Who would attack Fairy Tail's holy land?" Elfman wondered aloud.

"There's nothing valuable on the island, right? So what would anyone want here?" Evergreen asked.

Hinata's eyes widened in realization. If it was a dark guild attacking, then that could only mean one of two things.

That it was either a dark guild that held a grudge against Fairy Tail for taking out The Oración Seis, or…

"N-Naruto-Kun…" Hinata said and stood up from her table and running out of the tent.

"Hinata? Where are you going?" Mirajane asked, and the Hyūga stopped and turned around.

"I'm going to find Kakashi-Sensei! The others should be coming here soon, but we need to act fast before the enemy finds Naruto-Kun!"

Mirajane merely nodded in response, as she and the others were surprised by the normally quiet girl's outburst.

"They could be after Naruto? Hah! They have another thing coming to them if they think they can beat the guy that beat Laxus!" Evergreen said with confidence in her voice, and Elfman agreed.

"Naruto-San is a true man! He won't be taken down so easily! I just hope the others are safe."

Mirajane wanted to go find Naruto herself, but she knew the blonde could take care of himself. It would be better for her to wait until everyone was back before doing anything else.

"But that was weird… Hinata seemed very down about something earlier. Her taking off like that was surprising. You think she and Naruto had a thing back in their dimension?" Evergreen said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Elfman sent the girl a blank stare. "Of course not."

Evergreen almost fell out of her seat when the man responded with such a straight face. "W-why do you say that!?"

"Because, Naruto-San isn't a man that would notice such feelings." Elfman said with a nod, and this caused Evergreen to fall out of her seat.

"T-that's true… He is rather dense. It took Juvia to all but throw herself at the guy for him to realize she loved him… Ah…" Evergreen just realized Mirajane, another girl who seemed to like Naruto, was standing in the same tent as she was.

Elfman broke into a cold sweat. 'What were you thinking, Ever!?'

Mirajane blinked and turned around when she felt the stares on her back. "Hm? I'm sorry, did you two say something?"

"N-no! We didn't say anything at all! Right, Elfman?" Evergreen stuttered while forcing a smile, and Elfman nodded a little too eagerly.

"T-that's right, Nee-Chan! Sorry to bother you!"

Mirajane hummed in response and went back to gazing at the forest.

Elfman and Evergreen sighed in relief.

'Phew… She was too lost in thought to hear me.' Evergreen thought before she noticed the hard look Elfman was giving her, which caused the girl to advert her gaze and whistle.

* * *

Wendy was watching Naruto with a troubled look on her face. The blonde's expression had gotten lighter, and almost looked joyful. But the fact that he wasn't waking up yet worried her. 'Don't worry, Naruto-San! I will definitely protect you!'

Yamato opened his eyes. "Get ready, Wendy. Someone's coming."

Wendy nodded and sniffed the air to try and locate the enemy. Finding an unfamiliar scent, she pointed towards Yamato's left. "There!"

Without responding, Yamato thrust his right arm in the direction Wendy was pointing at. Wood grew from his arm and extended towards the brush, but the anbu was surprised when his wood vines were constricted by the trees.

At the same time, branches shot out from the darkness and tried to impale Yamato, but he quickly jumped out of the way.

'A wood style user!?' Yamato thought with wide eyes when the branches curved and continued to follow him. Flicking through a couple hand seals, Yamato skid to a stop and slammed his hands onto the ground.

" **Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall!"**

A wooden wall rose from the ground in front of Yamato, and the enemy's vines slammed into it. The wooden dome shook with great force, but was able hold off the attack. It was then Yamato heard Wendy's voice cry out to him, and he turned around just in time to see a massive ball of black flames.

"Yamato-San!" Wendy screamed as the man's form was consumed in the flames.

"Kahahaha! Was that really it!? I could have handled taking this guild out myself!"

Wendy glared at the source of the voice. The cackling man with long blonde hair and red eyes walked passed the black flames with a gleam in his eyes.

Another figure walked into the light as well, and this man had brown hair and tanned skin.

Wendy's eyes darted back and forth between the two mages. She was scared. Very scared. But she had to protect Naruto!

As if noticing the little girl for the first time, the second figure raised an eye brow. "Hm? A child?"

"Wh-what do you want with us?" Wendy stuttered, but she stood strong for the sake of protecting her friend.

"Those are some good eyes, but I have no interest in children." The man with the brown hair said.

"Hah! I say we just burn her to a crisp like her friend there-huh?" The man with blonde hair raised an eyebrow when the black flames from earlier died out, revealing a wooden dome that appeared to be mostly unscathed by the flames.

"Did he escape, Zancrow?"

"Of course not, Azuma! The poor sap probably roasted himself in there! Ahahaha!" Zancrow cackled before encasing his fist in black flames. He then walked over to the wooden dome and brought his fist down with force.

The dark mage's fist broke through the wood.

"Huh? It's empty?" Zancrow said with a raised eyebrow before cackling with laughter. "Hahaha! My god flames probably burned him until there was nothing left!"

But Azuma knew better, and his eyes searched the area for the missing ninja.

A few feet away, Yamato stood behind a tree while panting lightly. He clutched his arm in pain. While he had barely managed to encase himself in the wooden dome in time and escape through the ground before he was cooked alive, the flames had burned his shoulder.

'Those black flames… They're like the Amaterasu, but they're extinguishable. The other mage must have some sort of wood magic… This doesn't look good.' Yamato thought as he covered his burns with bandages. He needed to act fact before they turned their attention back on Wendy.

Yamato's eyes suddenly widened. He just lost connection with the wood clone he had sent with Makarov.

'These mages are a bad matchup for me. I need to somehow get in contact with Kakashi-Senpai…'

"There you are."

"!"

The tree Yamato was hiding behind suddenly sprouted arms and grabbed him with incredible gripping force. As he struggled fruitily to break free, a face sprouted from the bark and reached past his face. It was the face of the enemy.

"It seems you have abilities similar to my magic. You created that dome last second then escaped through the earth… Impressive." Azuma said as he detached himself from the bark of the tree.

'He can freely move through trees too!?' Yamato thought, and grunted when the grip on him began to squeeze the air out of his lungs.

Yamato-San-!" Wendy took a step forward, but was forced back when a stream of black flames hit the ground in front of her.

"Not another step, little girl! Unless you wanna get roasted? Kahaha!" Zancrow

Azuma began to walk back towards Zancrow and Wendy. "New plan, Zancrow. We will use these two to force the one named Naruto into surrendering."

Wendy's eyes widened. What did these people want with Naruto so bad that they would take hostages?

"Huh!? That doesn't sound like you at all, Azuma! But I say we roast them all here and now!" Zancrow declared while pointing at the mediating form of Naruto.

"As much as I'd like to fight the one called "One Man Army", Master Hades was very specific when he told us not to kill him, but to capture him by any means necessary."

Yamato cursed after hearing what the dark mages planned to do. These men were likely from one of the dark guilds that were interested in the Kyuubi's power. But how did they find Tenrou Island? Makarov had said only Fairy Tail knew where it was… 'No, none of that matters now… We have to warn the others.'

Struggling to gain some breath, Yamato choked out a few words before losing consciousness.

The words came out as a whisper, but Wendy's enhanced hearing picked them up. The blue haired girl turned back to look at Naruto one last time before she took off in a full sprint into the forest.

Wendy could hear the angry shouts of the fire mage behind her, but she didn't dare look back. She knew she couldn't defeat the two dark mages by herself. So for the sake of Naruto, and Yamato, she had to get away and find help.

"You cannot escape."

"Wah!" Wendy screamed when she heard Azuma's voices right in her ear, and something grabbed her foot which caused her to trip and fall on the ground.

After regaining her senses, Wendy turned around saw the looming dark form that was Azuma calmly walking towards her. Breathing in a bunch of air, Wendy shouted.

" **Sky Dragon's Roar!"**

Azuma's form was swallowed by the wind, giving Wendy a slight boost of hope. But that hope shattered in in instant when her magic breath dissipated and revealed the man wasn't damaged in the slightest.

'N-not even a scratch?' Wendy thought before she yelped when roots burst from the ground and bound her, constricting her off any movement.

After all those hours of training with Naruto, and this was the extent of her power.

"Forgive me, but even as a child you are a part of this guild. My orders are absolute." Azuma said darkly as he reached a hand towards the dragon slayer.

'Naruto-San, Yamato-San… I'm sorry I was too weak to do anything…' Wendy thought as her vision faded to black.

* * *

Kakashi stood in the middle of the dead part of the forest, his eyes wide. He had been standing there alone for a couple minutes, digesting the information he had just been given.

The truth about Itachi Uchiha and the Uchiha massacre, Grimoire Heart and their plans for Zeref...

Itachi had been a double agent sent by the third Hokage to keep tabs on the Akatsuki. When Sasuke killed Itachi, that role had been passed on to Sasuke. But because the third Hokage was no longer with them, Sasuke was telling Kakashi all of this because he was the only person he could trust with this information.

Killer Bee's capturing, the Five Kage Summit incident, all of it was an act to gain the trust of the Akatsuki.

But that wasn't all. Sasuke had claimed to know what Grimoire Heart's master, Hades, planned to do if he got his hands on Naruto.

What Sasuke had told him was outrageous, but he didn't sound like he was lying.

There was something off about this whole situation. After all, why did Sasuke wait until now to tell Kakashi all of this? He still had his doubts, but if what Sasuke said was true, then he needed to get to Naruto before it was too late.

* * *

Erza had decided to investigate the Mavis' grave first since it had been closest to her location, and to see what the master wanted to do about the enemies.

But when she got closer, the sight was not pretty.

The grave site was thrashed, to say the least. Most of the trees were destroyed, including the tree that once towered above the grave.

Luckily the grave itself was still intact, but the surrounding area was devastated.

"What… happened here?" Erza said as she looked around for the ones responsible for this destruction, and her attention was drawn to the sound of a body collapsing.

Making her way to the noise, Erza's eyes widened when she saw Naruto standing in front of a tree. She opened her mouth to say something, but her conversation with Lisanna came to mind and she clamped her mouth shut.

It was then she noticed the three bodies littered around the teen, three men to be exact. One had long ragged blonde hair, the other was dark skinned and had brown hair. The last man looked like an aged man, and was unconscious against the tree.

"Naruto… What happened here?" Erza said, and Naruto's form flinched.

"…E-Erza…San."

Erza turned to her right and gasped when she saw Wendy and Yamato gripped to a tree.

"T-that's not Naruto-San…"

Erza's eyes widened and she whirled around to see Naruto facing her, his eyes glowing a frighteningly familiar crimson red.

"I'm afraid she's right." 'Naruto' said with a feral grin on his face.

* * *

 **A/N: Have you been wondering how Sasuke was going to be affected by the Kotoamatsukami? Well there you have it folks, secret spy Sasuke! XD**

 **The memories that were implanted into Sasuke are simple:**

 **-After Sasuke defeated his brother, Itachi told him about the orders the third Hokage gave him as his last words.**

 **-Sasuke decides to take the torch and joins the Akatsuki under the impression that he wants to destroy the leaf. But in reality, he would be supporting the leaf as an undercover agent.**

 **Simple, yet impactful. Let me know if you still need any clarifications. ^^**

 **Okay, I'm done. I hope to see you all in the next chapter of The Fox Scroll!**


	47. I'm Taking a Break

**I recently realized that I have been writing The Fox Scroll for two years now. The story is on its 46th chapter and has nearly 300,000 words. When I first started writing I clearly did not know what I was doing, but I enjoyed every second of it regardless and would write with a true smile on my face. Reading the reviews yous guys wrote was just the icing on the cake. :)**

 **But lately, whenever I start to write, whether it be The Fox Scroll or The Lost Scrolls, I feel like I am forcing myself and I hate feeling like this.**

 **I do NOT want to give up on The Fox Scroll. I cannot stress this enough.**

 **As cheesy as this may sound, I have come too far and formed too many bonds through this story to just give up on it. I am just tired of all these delays to update, and I am tired of giving you all petty excuses. You all have given me way too much support and deserve better.**

 **So that is why I am going to take a break from The Fox Scroll and write something new in hopes to gain my bearings as a writer again so that maybe, one day, I can return to writing The Fox Scroll with that one true smile on my face again. I hope you all can understand.**

 **-SpiritSage**


	48. Christmas Omake

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto Or Fairy Tail

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" x2

Natsu and Happy shouted together as they stood outside of Naruto and Lucy's shared apartment. They were both wearing red Santa hats and held presents in their hands, for the day was none other than Christmas Eve. Natsu was holding a red bag while Happy held what clearly looked like a wrapped-up fish.

The theme of the Christmas party being held at Naruto and Lucy's place was Santa Claus.

Lucy, who had opened the door, smiled brightly at the two and gestured for them to come inside. She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and jeans, as well as a pair of cozy black slippers to keep her feet warm.

"Merry Christmas! Though aren't you guys a little early? The party doesn't start for another hour…"

She said and the two dashed into the warm apartment, tossing their gifts onto the table and jumping onto the couch/Naruto's bed.

"It was too cold outside and everyone at the guild was already drunk, so we got bored and came here."

Natsu said as he reached his hand under the couch cushion and pulled out Naruto's headband. Putting the headband on his head and covering his mouth with his scarf, Natsu began to playfully act like a 'ninja'.

"Something smells good! Are you making fish? Christmas isn't complete without fish!"

Happy said while sniffing the air, drool coming out of his mouth.

"We cooked some fish just for you, but you'll have to wait until everyone's here."

Lucy said, and the cat cheered.

At that moment the bathroom door opened, and Naruto walked out in a bath towel. He had just taken a shower and his hair was even still wet.

"I thought I heard familiar voices, is the party starting already? Merry Christmas guys!"

Naruto said, only to yelp when Natsu suddenly attacked him. He caught the dragon slayer's fist, and quickly held his towel when it almost came off.

"W-woah, that was close… What the hell are you doing Natsu!?"

Naruto barked as he struggled to hold Natsu's fist back while also keeping his loose towel on.

"Naruto, fight me! Also, merry Christmas!"

Natsu shouted as he struggled to get his hand back, but Naruto held onto his fist with an iron-like grip. He had been itching for a fight, but Naruto kept refusing the past couple of days because he had been preparing for the party with Lucy.

"This is the real reason we came early. Natsu wanted to fight Naruto before everyone showed up to the party."

Happy said without even looking, instead, he continued to stare at the cooked fish on the table with hungry eyes.

"Oh, so you wanna fight now? Alright, I guess we do have some time before the rest of the group shows up. Just let me get dressed first."

Naruto said with a smirk and Natsu relaxed, seemingly satisfied with that response. The jinchuuriki then walked over to couch and picked up his clothes with his free hand.

Lucy, having rushed to the table when it shook from the shockwave, sighed a breath of relief when she saw that all the food was still intact. She then turned around to yell at the boys only to yelp in surprise when she found Juvia standing next to her, the woman's eyes glued on Naruto.

"Naruto-Sama fighting in a towel is the best Christmas present ever!"

Juvia said while clasping her red cheeks, her eyes scanning every inch of the shinobi's exposed torso. She was wearing a red Santa dress complete with a Santa hat of her own, as well as red and white candy cane themed leggings and fluffy red boots. All in all, she looked like a Santa girl.

Noticing the water woman, Naruto grinned widely and waved.

"Hey Juvia-Chan! Merry Christmas!"

 **Flop!**

"Ah." x4

Naruto's towel dropped to floor when he waved, leaving him butt-naked in the middle of the room.

"Blurg!"

Juvia flew back from the sight, leaving a trail of blood behind. She landed on the couch, her eyes spinning as her mind replayed the imaged that was now burned into her memory.

Recovering from her shock, Lucy quickly grabbed a pillow and threw it into Naruto's face.

"Get back in the bathroom and get dressed already you idiot!"

"R-right! Sorry!"

Naruto stuttered as the girl pushed him into the bathroom.

A heavy blush on her face, Lucy shook her head and turned around to find Natsu and Happy giving her thumbs up.

"W-what's that supposed to mean!?"

* * *

 **A One-Sided Pummeling Later…**

"Ho ho ho!"

Naruto cheered, Natsu's red hat on his head. He was also wearing a fake beard as well as a fluffy red Santa jacket with matching red pants.

"Ho ho ho! Am I doing it right?"

Naruto asked Lucy, who was putting a blanket over the unconscious Natsu and Juvia on the couch.

"Yeah, but don't you think you went a little too far? What if he doesn't wake up in time for the party…"

Lucy said with a worried look on her face. As soon as Naruto had gotten dressed he and Natsu went outside for a quick sparing match, only for Naruto to come back inside two minutes later with an unconscious dragon slayer on his back.

"He'll be fine. Besides, he asked for a fight so I gave him one. Natsu said a real fight was all he wanted for Christmas, so I had no choice but to go all out. By the way, we'll have to pay for a damaged light pole…"

Naruto said with a shrug, mumbling the last part under his breath.

Lucy was about to question her fellow blonde when Juvia suddenly sprung up from the couch.

Naruto had to take a step back when the water woman suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Santa-Sama came to play!"

Juvia cheered with hearts in her eyes.

"Ho ho ho! That's right! Has Juvia-Chan been a good girl this year?"

Naruto said using his best Santa impression, which was supposedly a jolly old man voice. Whatever that was supposed to sound like.

"Very much so! Does this mean Santa-Sama will be coming down Juvia's chimney tonight!?"

Juvia blurted out with a massive blush on her face, steam coming out of her nose.

"Since Juvia-Chan has been a good girl, Santa will be doing a lot more than coming down your chimney!"

Naruto said with a wink. Of course he meant he would be bringing presents, but Juvia's wild imagination took it differently and blood came gushing out of her nose as she flew back onto the couch again.

"Santa… Baby…"

Juvia mumbled with spinning eyes before her consciousness clocked out for a second time that night.

"Juvia-Chan!? Are you okay!?"

Naruto said and ran over to the rain woman who sported a blissed expression.

"W-w-w-wha-!?"

Lucy stammered uncontrollably with a massive blush of her own.

"Calm down Lucy, Naruto was only talking about bringing presents."

Happy said with the steamed fish in his mouth.

"Huh?"

Lucy looked back at Naruto and saw him place a wrapped box on the table before he covered the girl with a blanket. She hoped he got her a present too…

"Sheesh, get your mind out of the gutter. Though I guess it's that time of the year for couples…"

"Sh-shut up, and put that fish back!"

Lucy shouted and proceeded to chase the little blue cat around the apartment.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"That must be the others!"

Naruto said and fixed his beard before walking to the door. Opening it, he found Gray and Cana standing in the opening.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas." x2

They were both following the Santa theme, but Gray was missing a shirt. He was wearing a red Santa hat and black pants. He might have had a matching red jacket, but he probably lost it on the way over. At least that's what Naruto was going to assume.

"Aren't you cold?"

Naruto asked Gray, which was probably a useless question since ice mages didn't get cold. But the shinobi thought it would be fun to point it out, which proved to be correct when the raven-haired teen threw his hands up in surprise.

"What the-Again!? I must have lost it on the way here!"

Gray shouted and was about to turn back to go look for his jacket when Naruto put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"It's probably buried in the snow by now. Here, we have an extra."

Naruto said and grabbed a spare Santa jacket off the coat hanger next to the door. It was supposed to be Lucy's, but she suddenly didn't want to wear when Naruto said they looked like Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

"Thanks… What happened to those guys?"

Gray asked as he put his arms through the coat, gesturing towards the unconscious forms that were Natsu and Juvia laying on the couch.

"Ah, yeah… It's a long story. But anyway, come on in. We got food and drinks!"

Naruto said and gestured for the two to walk in.

Gray walked inside with his hands in his pockets, but Cana stopped in front of Naruto and smiled devilishly.

Like Juvia, Cana was wearing a Santa girl costume, but she had solid red stockings. Her jacket was slightly unbuttoned, which allowed her red bikini top along with a bit of her cleavage to show.

"Hey, Santa-San~? I've been a naughty girl this year… Will you be coming down my chimney as punishme-"

"We've already used that joke!"

Lucy retorted, prompting Cana to suck her teeth and walk in, leaving Naruto behind with a confused look on his face.

"Is it punishment time?"

Lucy turned to see Virgo had appeared wearing an elf costume, holding a Christmas stocking full of-

"Put that stuff away! Or rather, just go back!"

* * *

Natsu's eyes opened when he heard a faint knocking sound. More people had arrived at the party and the apartment was rather noisy now, so he assumed no one could hear the soft knocks but him. Sniffing the air, Natsu picked up two familiar scents past all the other people and the food.

"It's Wendy and Carla, I'll go get-"

The fire dragon slayer didn't get to finish his sentence when Cana roughly wrapped an arm around his neck.

"Now now Natsu~! Don't be so hasty~!"

Cana said before grabbing something out of her pocket and showing it to Natsu.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow in confusion while staring at the object before they widened when realization struck. He gained a sly grin on his face and nodded feverously.

"Good. Go get Naruto, I'll set it up."

Cana said and the two went to opposite ends of the room to set their plan into motion, Natsu towards Naruto and Cana towards the front door.

When Natsu was next to his target, he looked back towards Cana to see the girl giving him a thumbs up.

"Hey Naruto, I think someone's at the door."

Natsu said while pointing at the door, and by that time Cana was already back in her seat at the couch with a drink in her hands.

Naruto paused his conversation with Juvia, who had long since recovered from her second fainting, and looked towards the door.

"Oh, I didn't hear a thing. Thanks Natsu."

The blonde said and walked towards the door, with Juvia happily following him.

But just as they passed the couch to get to the door, Juvia noticed the mischievous glint in Cana's eyes. Suspicion levels rising, she stopped and scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary when her eyes fell upon a small object that spelled disaster.

"Naruto-Sama, be care-mmf!"

Juvia tired to warn her beloved, but Cana covered her mouth and Natsu grabbed her arms when she tried to break free. She was about to turn her body into water to escape, but it was already too late. Naruto had already opened the door.

"Ho ho ho! Well if it isn't Wendy-Chan and Carla! Merry Christmas!"

Naruto chimed, grinning widely as he crouched down to the little girl's eye level.

"Look! Look Carla! It's Santa-San!"

Wendy said with a shy smile, holding her feline friend in front of her face. She was wearing a green dress with peppermint buttons and matching red and green striped stockings, as well as a green elf hat with pointed ears on it and green pointed shoes. One could call her "Santa's little helper".

"Best be careful Wendy, they say Santa preys on elves."

Carla said while staring Naruto right in the eye as if to say: 'I'm watching you'.

"Carla, it's Christmas! Can't you be a little nicer to Naruto-San for… Eh?"

Wendy's words trailed off when she looked up and noticed something dangling from the door frame. It was a small object, a tiny plant with a ribbon tied to it. Wendy's eyes widened when she realized what it was.

'M-m-m-m-m-mistletoe!? N-N-Naruto-San and m-m-me!?'

Wendy's thoughts raced, her face heating up to new shades. When two people stood underneath a mistletoe on Christmas, they had to kiss!

Meanwhile, Naruto was smiling at Carla bitterly.

"You know Carla, I'm really getting tired of… H-hey, are you okay Wendy-Cha-"

"Noooooo!"

Wendy suddenly screamed and reflexively shoved her hands forward when Naruto moved closer to her.

SMACK!

"Mmff!?" x2

The entire apartment fell silent when they heard Wendy scream, and were frozen by what they were witnessing.

Wendy had forgotten that she was holding Carla when she shoved Naruto, and in turn, shoved the cat into the ninja's face.

—After a couple minutes, Naruto was sitting in a corner of the apartment with a face full of scratches and a raincloud over his head. But surprisingly enough, the scratches weren't from Carla. Instead they were from Happy who had attacked Naruto in rage before flying out of the window, declaring he would avenge his beloved's lips.

"I kissed a cat… I kissed a cat…"

The shinobi mumbled to himself in a monotone voice. Why was he always the victim for accidental lip-locks? First Sasuke, then Lucy, and now this!

Carla, while she did freak out when it happened, she was more focused on comforting Wendy who was crying on the couch. The poor little girl was blaming herself for the incident.

The ones responsible, on the other hand, were on the floor laughing their butts off.

"Kahahaha! Naruto kissed a cat! That's so embarrassing!"

"Hahaha! O-ow my sides…! Oh man, the looks on your faces… Too good!"

Natsu and Cana said through spurts of laughter while patting each other on the back.

'They don't feel bad in the slightest…'

Lucy thought with a sweatdrop. But she wondered if Naruto was okay. The scratching from Happy aside, the shinobi probably felt bad for making Wendy cry and was probably blaming himself.

"Poor guy. He didn't deserve that at all."

Lucy heard Gray say in a monotone voice, and when she turned to look at the guy her eyes bulged when she saw that he was shaking. The ice mage seemed to be struggling to hold back his own laughter as he looked ready to burst, with tears coming out of his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that wasn't sincere!?"

The celestial spirit mage said before sighing, she wasn't sure how more of this she could take. Even Juvia looked like she was at her limit, she too was sitting in a corner of the apartment while holding her knees to her chest.

"Juvia's rivals with a cat… Juvia's rivals with a cat…"

Juvia mumbled to herself in a similar fashion as Naruto, a raincloud over her head.

Everyone's attention turned to Naruto when he suddenly stood up from his corner.

"…I need some fresh air."

Naruto said and slowly walked towards the door, dragging his feet the entire way. When he reached the door, he opened it to find Erza standing in the frame with her hand raised as though she were about to knock.

Erza was wearing a red Santa shirt that cut off at her midsection, showing her stomach, as well as a matching red skirt with white fluffs outlining it. She also had a Santa hat on her head, and wore black boots with black stockings that reached up to her lower thighs.

'Erza? She showed up rather late… Oh no, the mistletoe is still there! Why didn't we take that thing down!?'

Lucy thought just as the red head's eyes landed on the little green object dangling over her.

Naruto realized this too, but his expression remained the same. He had already accepted his fate.

"Oh? A mistletoe? You sly dog. But you have Juvia, so this should suffice. Just make sure you spend a lot of time with her during the holiday."

Erza said before she leaned forward and pecked Naruto on the cheek.

"!" x4

Lucy, Juvia, Gray, Natsu, and Carla all gaped at the red head's action.

'Erza-San is so mature…'

Wendy thought as she watched the older girl in awe.

Naruto raised a hand to his burning cheek as he wordlessly watched the female knight walk inside the room and look around with a sharp gaze.

"What's going on here? Where's the music? Where's the games? It's Christmas people!"

Erza shouted with her hands on her hips, and just like that, everything was back to normal. Minus Happy, who was still missing.

"What took you so long to get here, Erza?"

Lucy asked with a smile, relieved that Erza had brought the life back to the party. Although she was still a little surprised and a tad bid jealous that Erza had kissed Naruto, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Hm. I stopped by Mira's house to see if she was coming, but it seems Elfman and Lee both caught colds from training in a snow storm. As a result, Mira and Lisanna caught colds while treating them so they won't be showing up."

Erza explained, and those that were listening frowned.

But wait. Weren't they still missing people?

"What about Jay and Tenten? Aren't they usually with you?"

Naruto asked when he realized the two weren't with Erza either.

"Jay is… Working on another job. Even though I told him to take a break for the holiday... Tenten left to get Sakura and Hinata to help treat Mira and the others."

Erza said while gripping a fist. She wanted to help with her friend's recovery, but everyone kept telling her to just go to the party for some reason. She did such an excellent job wrapping Lee and Elfman in bandages too. In the end, they had persuaded her to have fun at the party in their stead.

"I see…"

Naruto said with a frown. It was a shame that some people weren't going to show up, but it couldn't be helped if they were all sick.

Erza's eyebrow twitched when everyone began to look gloomy again, and so she slapped Naruto on the back.

"Mira said to have enough fun for everyone, so let's have some fun! Bring out the drinks!"

Cana's ear twitched at the mentioning of drinks and reached into her shirt and pulled out an expensive looking bottle of wine.

"Did somebody say boo-Ah! My booze!"

Cana cried in dismay when someone snatched the bottle out of her hands.

Juvia jumped onto the couch and pointed directly at Erza fiercely.

"Juvia challenges Erza-San to a match!"

"I don't know why you are challenging me so suddenly, but if it's a match you want, then it's a match you will get!"

Erza replied, and sparks seemed to fly out at the two stared at each other intensely.

Naruto and Lucy looked at each other and gulped. Were they going to be okay?

Juvia hopped down while smirking to herself.

'Fufufu… Little does Erza-San know, Juvia has been practicing her drinking tolerance in preparation for a match with Cana-San! Juvia has this victory in the bag!'

* * *

 **Ten Minutes Later…**

"Waaahaha~! Naruto-Sama cheated on Juvia~!"

Juvia whaled as she cried crocodile tears into Naruto's lap.

"Not once, but twice! In the same night too! Waaahaha~!"

"There there… I'm sorry Juvia-Chan. It was an accident, I promise."

Naruto said in a comforting voice as he pat the weeping girl's head, it seemed she was the type who cried when they got drunk. Juvia had gotten drunk after the first glass, as did a couple others after drinking the beverage Cana had brought.

Having calmed the water mage, Naruto sighed in relief when he suddenly felt a soft sensation on his pack and two arms wrapped around his neck.

"Naruto~! Only being nice to Juvia… No fair!"

Cana cooed into the whiskered teen's ear with hot breath that reeked of booze.

"C-Cana? What are you doing…"

Naruto stuttered, his cheeks heating up from the contact. But he couldn't move else risk waking Juvia up, and he wasn't sure if the apartment could take much more water damage.

"Hahaha! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Your reactions really are the best…"

Cana said and took a seat next to Juvia, who was now fast asleep on Naruto's leg. She poked the girl in the cheek, earning a soft moan from the bluenette.

"She sure is cute when she's sleeping, don't you think Naruto?"

"Yeah… I-I mean… Cana!"

Naruto stammered, and turned away pouting when the alcoholic started laughing again. He walked into that one.

But when Cana suddenly stopped laughing, Naruto turned back to see she was sleeping. But that shouldn't be the case, she only had a couple drinks…

"Naruto!"

"H-hai!?"

Hearing his name in such a commanding tone, Naruto responded accordingly as Erza stomped over to his location. He didn't have to look at her expression to know she was upset about something.

"Lucy was telling me that she's sad that you only pay attention to Juvia! How could you ignore your friend?"

"No~! When you say it out loud Erza, it's embarrassing~!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked up to see Erza standing with her arms crossed over her chest, with a very shy looking Lucy clasping her cheeks behind her. Both had flushed faces and seemed to be swaying in their steps.

'Ah, they're drunk.'

The ninja thought with a sweatdrop. But drunk or not, he had to stand his ground. After all, it was Erza who said he needed to spend more time with Juvia during the holiday.

"But didn't you say I needed to-"

"Uahh~ That looks comfy! Sorry for intruding~!"

Lucy interrupted the boy before she leapt onto his leg, using it like a pillow much like Juvia was.

"L-Lucy!? What are you…"

Naruto yelped and was about to try and move the girl off his leg, but the girl was already fast asleep. Drunk people were weird.

"Hm. That will do."

Erza said with a short nod before she plopped onto the floor next to Lucy.

Naruto and Erza stayed quiet for couple minutes, both watching what the others were doing. Wendy was laying on the table, having passed out when she smelled the wine Cana had brought. Carla was currently barking orders at Natsu and Gray, lecturing them about how beastly they could become if continued to hang out with Naruto.

…Oi.

"What does Carla have against me? I haven't done anything to her…"

Naruto said with a pout. Well, that wasn't entirely true since he had pranked her during the Race of Pranks. But that was only after he had gotten fed up with her constantly calling him a beast!

"She's just overprotective of Wendy."

Erza said with a light chuckle upon seeing Naruto's pouting features.

"But I would never do anything to hurt Wendy-Chan!"

Naruto said in protest, and he was telling the truth. He thought of Wendy like the little sister he never had. As far as he knew, an older brother was supposed to do anything to protect his little sister.

"Carla will come around, in time. Just be patient."

Was Erza's response and the two fell back into silence. Or at least as silent as the apartment was, what with Natsu and Gray fighting each other with Carla telling them to go and find Happy so she could lecture him too.

"Thank you, Erza."

"Hm?"

Erza hummed questioningly when Naruto suddenly thanked her.

"Er… I mean, thanks for looking out for all of us all the time. Even today, I was just about to leave because I thought I wouldn't be able to keep everyone happy at the party. But then you showed up and everything was fine."

Naruto said while scratching his whisker marks awkwardly. He really sucked at these kinds of conversations…

Erza smiled.

"I'm just looking out for my family, who look out for me. It's always been like this and it always will be."

"You sound like old man Makarov…"

Naruto joked, and laughed when Erza coughed into her hand with red cheeks.

"Ya know, it's a little embarrassing to say this but… I've always thought of you an older sister. Mira-Chan too."

Naruto suddenly said while looking at the ceiling, a goofy grin on his face. Erza and Mirajane were always looking out for him, and lecturing him if he ever got into trouble. Which was kind of what he felt having an older sister would be like. The whole guild was like a family to him, and he could compare a lot of them to specific family members.

Natsu and Gray were kind of like brothers to him now, Makarov was like a grandfather, Cana was like a mischievous older sister with a drinking problem. Macao and Wakaba were like perverted uncles, and Gajeel was like a step-brother he didn't get along with very well.

Then there was Lucy. She was kind of like a twin sister, his best friend, or even his other half…

Naruto shook his head when he felt his face heating up, and looked down at Lucy who was still sleeping soundly on his leg. Her breathing was slow, but steady. Lucy had always been there for him, for better or worse. She was always taking care of him, even if she could have kicked him out of the apartment months ago. He was always relying on her…

"I… I see. W-well, you are a rather troublesome younger brother to take care of! Much like Natsu and Gray!"

Erza stammered while poking her fingers together. Why was she getting so flustered over something like this!? Was it the alcohol kicking in again? Yes, that was it!

Wait.

Come to think of it, Erza was a little angry about being called an older sister for some reason and felt that she should be mad for Mira as well.

Naruto suddenly heard giggling and looked down to see Lucy and Juvia staring up at him. Lucy was laughing, while Juvia seemed to be crying over something.

"Wait… Were you two awake the whole time?"

"May~be!"

Lucy said and poked Naruto on the nose before getting up on her hands and knees. She then stared at him in his eyes with a tiny smile.

Naruto didn't know if it was the alcohol's influence, but he was getting severely flustered right now. Lucy looked so adorable right now for some reason, staring at him with big eyes. Those cute brown eyes…

"J-Juvia didn't want to trick Naruto-Sama… But the evil Lucy and Cana-San made Juvia do it! Waahaha! Please don't hate Juvia!"

Naruto was brought out of his trance when Juvia shouted with teary eyes again as she gripped his pants tightly. He turned to Cana with a twitching eyebrow and noticed the girl was still playing possum, the shaking of her chest that was probably her trying to keep in her own laughter giving her away.

"Grr… You three acting all lovey dovey right in front of me. That makes this _Onee-Chan_ upset!"

Erza hissed, spitting venom when referring to herself as an 'Onee-Chan'. She then slammed a cup onto the table, silencing the entire room.

Everyone was now sitting around the table, seiza style, as Erza stood with the cup in her hands. Even Wendy had woken up when Erza yelled and was sitting in between Gray and Cana. Inside the cup were handful of sticks, each with numbers written on them.

"For the party's climax, we should all play the guild master's game!"

Erza declared with a triumphant grin on her face.

"Guild master's game? What's that?"

Naruto asked with his hand raised, and a few others raised their hands as well. It seemed no one knew what the game was.

No one except for Gray, whose face was growing paler.

"I think I know what this game is… The sticks are numbered, all except for one. Whoever chooses the stick with a crown becomes the 'guild master' and gets to tell the numbers what to do."

Gray explained and gulped when he saw the mischievous glint in Erza's eyes. Normally, a game like this would sound like a fun party game for friends. But the look in Erza's eyes was unsettling.

"Wah~ That sounds fun! Right Juvia?"

Lucy said cheerfully, patting her blue haired friend on the head.

"Nooo! Erza-San is going to make Naruto-Sama do something embarrassing!"

Juvia said while pulling on Naruto's sleeve.

It seemed they were still under the effects of the alcohol.

"Come on guys, it shouldn't be that bad! I'm sure we'll have fun!"

Naruto tried to be supportive of the game. He'd never played a game like this with his friends, and wanted to try it out.

Erza hummed in approval and held the cup out so that it was within everyone's reach.

"Exactly. Now, let us begin!"

—Round One:

It seemed they had no other choice than to play, so everyone reached into the cup and grabbed a stick.

Naruto looked at his stick and saw the number four written on it.

'I guess this means I'm not the guild master…'

He thought when Erza suddenly stood up. It seemed she was the guild master. She had been upset about something earlier, so at least she was having fun again. Besides, whatever Erza was going to make them do shouldn't be that bad-

"Number three, strip and sing a Christmas song outside the window!"

Erza commanded while pointing towards the only window in the apartment.

The group's eyes became saucers as Natsu stripped and jumped onto Lucy's bed, opened the window, and proceeded to sing.

"Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the Way!"

Natsu shouted into the night, catching the attention of anyone who happened to be passing the apartment building.

"Hm… Those are some good vocals Natsu."

Erza said, nodding in approval as Natsu finished and hopped off the bed, then slapped him on the back to commend him. During this time, the others huddled up into a circle.

"Erza's gone crazy! That was way too intense!"

Lucy hissed in a whispered voice. It seemed the shock from the first round was enough to sober her up.

"That was only a single number off from mine…"

Naruto whimpered as he thought what might have happened had his number been called, or if he refused. He couldn't fathom how Natsu was able to do something so embarrassing with a straight face the whole time.

"That would have been a great show."

Cana said with a smirk, with Juvia nodding her head in agreement.

"Erza's obviously drunk, but she'll only stop if we keep playing. We just have to hope she doesn't become guild master again."

Gray whispered, earning a nod from the rest of the group. After all, it was eight to one. The odds were in their favor!

"Hey, what are you all goofing off for? Let's start the next round!"

Erza shouted impatiently, prompting the huddled group to circle around the table once again.

—Round Two:

Gray looked to Naruto, who looked to Lucy, and they all nodded.

'I'm going…'

'To be…'

'The guild master!'

They thought as they pulled their sticks from the cup, and the guild master was…!

"Ha ha! I'm the guild master again!"

Erza exclaimed, holding the stick with the crown symbol in the air like a trophy.

'How!?'

Was everyone's collective thoughts before they all quivered in fear as Erza glanced between them all with a calculative eye.

…She couldn't tell what their numbers were by looking at them, could she?

"Now then… Number four, grope number six's chest for thirty seconds!"

Another outrageous request!

Naruto looked down and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the number one. Looks like he was safe this time around…

"Eep!"

All heads turned to Wendy when she squeaked in surprise, and saw that her stick had the number four on it.

"Come over to Onee-Chan…"

Wendy squeaked again when she turned to see Cana beckoning for her to come over with her arms spread. The little girl looked at Erza with teary eyes to ask if she could pass this round, but the words died in her throat when she saw the stern look on the female knight's face.

"T-then… Excuse me…"

Wendy all but whispered and reached out

"Ahn~! That tickles~!"

Cana said in a cutesy voice unbefitting of her personality.

"P-please don't make strange noises, Cana-San!"

Wendy said as she fondled the older woman's breasts, but she couldn't help marvel to herself.

'I wonder if my breasts will grow this big…'

—Round Three:

To everyone's surprise, Erza had once again become the guild master.

"Number four, state who your first kiss was!"

Naruto's face paled when he saw that his stick had the number four on it, and then his heart nearly stopped when all eyes were on him.

"Naruto-Sama's… *Gulp!* F-First Kiss!?"

Juvia stared at the ninja intensely, as was everyone else, for this was a subject Naruto had been avoiding since the day he had arrived at the guild.

Lucy gulped. As far as she knew, Naruto's first kiss had been with her during the Race of Pranks. But that could also just be wishful thinking on her part.

Naruto rubbed his arm nervously.

"M-my first kiss, huh? W-well you guys already know it was with Lucy during the Race-"

"You're lying."

Cana said, a sly smile growing on her face when Naruto's eyes widened. Bingo.

"Your face is saying: 'How do you know?' Well I've noticed that you tend to scratch at your whisker marks whenever you admit to something embarrassing. Just now, you were rubbing your arm."

Naruto blushed when everyone looked at him with curious eyes. There was no escaping it this time, not with Cana around while she was in a playful mood…

'Wait, that's it! I know how to get Cana off my back!'

Naruto thought and steeled himself for what was to come.

"Alright, fine. You got me. My first kiss was with Wendy-Chan."

"!" x9

Naruto yelped when Carla suddenly pounced on him.

"I knew it! I knew you were nothing more than a beast! I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you Wendy, but I'll deal with this beast once and for all!"

Carla shouted as she clawed at the shinobi's face until she was picked up by Lucy, who was looking at her fellow blonde with a look of disbelief.

"You kissed Wendy!? When!? She's just a child Naruto…"

Lucy said while holding Carla back while Naruto wiped off his face.

"Juvia always knew Wendy-San would be Juvia's greatest foe…"

Juvia muttered while glaring daggers at Wendy.

"Eh? Eh?"

Wendy said while looking between Naruto and Carla in confusion. What was he talking about? They never kissed! Right? Unless those dreams she'd been having were actually…

"Don't worry, Onee-Chan will protect you from the big bad fox…"

Cana said and pulled the flustered little girl onto her lap.

"I didn't think Naruto was the type that went after girls like Wendy…"

Erza said with a hand on her chin, because something didn't seem right about all this.

The final breaking point was when Naruto saw Gray and Natsu shaking their heads while staring at him coldly.

"W-wait! You're all misunderstanding! I meant the Wendy-Chan from Edolas! She kissed me before I flew into the Anima!"

Naruto blurted out in attempt to clear his name. The last thing he needed was for a rumor to spread throughout the guild, and eventually reach Sakura's ears. Now THAT would be troubling.

"Wait, but weren't the people in Edolas almost the same as everyone here? Just different personalities?"

Gray asked incredulously.

"The Wendy in Edolas was older, and was _this_ big."

Natsu explained, putting his hands in front of his chest to represent the Edolas counterpart's sizable breasts. Which looked funny considering the pink haired teen was still naked.

"Oh… Not bad. But dude, put some clothes on. Seriously."

"Y-you guys!"

Wendy shouted and buried her tomato red face into her hands. She just wanted the round to end already!

"Don't worry Wendy-Chan, I'm not the kind of guy that would force a kiss onto any girl. If I wanted to kiss you, then I would ask you first!"

Naruto said and gave the little girl a thumbs up.

"Fuh!"

Wendy fell back onto Cana, unconscious. Naruto's words had been too much for her.

"Wendy-Chan!?"

"Looks like you went too far."

Lucy said and released Carla from her grasp, earning a mortified look from her roommate. But this had her wondering. Naruto never told her about his kiss with the Wendy from Edolas, so what if he was hiding some other things like that? She was dying to know now!

Cana smirked to herself, because knew Naruto had lied about the kiss being his first. But she would let it slide this time since everyone's reactions had been so great. She could always get the truth some other time.

Wendy: Retired.

—Round Four:

"I'm the guild master!"

Naruto stated proudly and waved the stick in the air, earning a sigh from everyone else. They were glad it wasn't Erza, but having them react so casually when he had gotten the guild master stick made Naruto a little angry.

"Alright, I see how it is. Number eight must be carried around town… By these guys!"

Naruto jumped onto Lucy's bed and opened the window before crossing his fingers into a certain hand seal.

" **Secret Technique: Reverse Harem Jutsu!"**

A dozen plumes of smoke popped into existence outside of the apartment, and cleared to reveal a group of male models wearing speedos. They all looked up at the window where people were either shocked, mortified, or drooling.

"Come on down!"

"Let's have some fun!"

"Baby it's cold outside!"

Naruto smirked to himself. There was no way anyone would want to be caught being carried around town by a bunch of almost naked men. It would be WAY too embarrassing! Whoever drew the number eight would surely-

"Don't mind if I do!"

Cana said and handed Naruto her stick like it was a ticket before she dove out of the window to be caught by the group of attractive males.

"Why don't we go to my place where it's warm boys?"

Naruto balked as he walked his clones walk off with the brunette. What were the odds of Cana of all people getting the stick…?

Cana: Retired

—Round Five:

"Looks like it's back to me again. Fufu…"

Erza said when she pulled out the guild master stick from the cup, earning a groan from the others. Ignoring their childish complaints, she looked around the room for ideas. There was the mostly eaten food and the empty wine bottles on the kitchen table, dirty dishes in the sink, a laundry basket near the bathroom door…

"Ahah! Number one has to strip, then wear Naruto's fishnet under armor!"

Gray snorted.

"Is that it? I thought you were going to ask for something outrageous again Erza. Whoever's number one just got a lucky break..."

Gray's voice trailed off when Erza walked over to the laundry basket, picked the shirt up, and walked back to the table. When she passed Gray, he got a whiff of the shirt and coughed into his hand.

"Okay, never mind… I'm glad it's not my number."

The ice mage said while plugging his nose.

"Jeez dude… That thing smells awful!"

Natsu said while plugging his own nose to no avail, his keen sense of smell betraying him.

"Smelly beast."

Carla simply said.

"H-hey! I was really pushing myself in my training today! Sorry for working up a sweat!"

Naruto shouted and crossed his arms in a fit, his ears burning red in embarrassment.

"Wait, who was number one?"

Lucy asked and looked around the room. There was six of them left in the game, and Gray, Natsu, Carla, and Naruto all seemed like they weren't number one. So that left…

'Oh no…'

Lucy thought and turned towards the person who had been strangely quiet this round. Juvia's bangs were covering her eyes, giving her an ominous look.

"Juvia, are you ready?"

Erza asked and held the shirt out across the table. Gross.

"Yes!"

Juvia looked up and said, revealing her eyes had a dangerous glint to them. She then snatched the fishnet shirt out of Erza's hand and began to strip her top of, bra and all.

"At least change in the bathroom!"

Lucy scolded and jumped in front of the girl defensively to prevent the boys in the room from getting a free show.

"Ah… Na-Naruto-Sama's scent is all over Juvia's body… Juvia's skin… Juvia's soul…"

Splat!

Juvia fell flat on her back with a severe nose bleed, the whites of her eyes showing. Due to her previous two nosebleeds, she passed out due to loss of blood. It was lights out for Juvia for the night, and possibly the next day.

"Ahem… is she gonna be okay?"

Naruto asked, coughing into his hand to cover up his own nose bleed.

Lucy sent Naruto a flat look, but sighed when the ninja adverted his gaze.

"Yes… Probably."

Juvia: Retired.

—Round Six:

"Numbers two and three, share a pocky stick!"

Erza said eagerly, holding up a box of the chocolate covered cookie sticks.

Lucy blushed when she saw that her number was three, and her blush deepened when she saw that Naruto's number was two.

"Oho~ Lucky Lucy~"

Natsu whispered to the celestial spirit mage, and even Gray let out a few chuckles.

"Sh-shut up!"

Lucy hissed, and the two boys zipped their lips in a playful manner.

Carla merely rolled her eyes. Why was she still playing this stupid game?

"So… How do we share this?"

Naruto asked when Erza handed him the box of cookies, and Lucy face-faulted.

'Great… That's just great! Not only do I have to play the pocky game with the boy I like, but I also have to teach him too!?'

Lucy thought with a steamy face with shooting glares as the one responsible for her embarrassment.

Erza smiled victoriously. Wasn't she trying to get Naruto to get closer to Juvia earlier? What was her goal!?

Shaking her head, Lucy pulled a pocky stick from the box.

"The goal is to reach the middle of the pocky stick. The first one to pull away is the loser…"

Lucy explained before she put the cookie in her mouth and leaned forward with her eyes closed expectantly.

Was she really going to do this? How was she able to do this so easily? It was all Erza's fault! The alcohol too! Otherwise she would want to do this!

…Probably.

Lucy opened her eyes when nothing happened to find Naruto with a mouth full of pocky sticks.

"Zoo I wuin?"

"No! We're supposed to share one! I even prepared myself and everything!"

Lucy snapped and chopped the whiskered teen on the head, and all the pocky sticks in his mouth snapped in half.

There was only one pocky stick left, and Lucy held it in her hand.

"R-ready?"

"Y-yeah… But I'm not gonna lose!"

Naruto responded nervously, but his eyes flashed with determination. This may just be a game, an embarrassing game at that, but he wouldn't back down! Not even against Lucy!

Besides, it's not like they were going to kiss or anything. They would probably just stop in the middle or something.

'It's embarrassing to admit, but I'm counting on that competitive side of yours, Naruto…'

Lucy thought before she put the pocky stick into her mouth, and Naruto put his mouth on the other end.

Slowly, the two began to inch their way towards the middle of the cookie. Both staring into the other's eyes. Their hearts were pounding. This was by far the most challenging thing Erza had thrown at them!

Lucy's heart felt like it was about to explode. She was just centimeters away from Naruto's lips for a second time. The first time being their accident, but that was just that. An accident.

Now, they were going to kiss intentionally. Although it was for the purpose of Erza's dare/command, a kiss was still a kiss! But Lucy was hopeful. Hopeful that maybe it would spark something in Naruto's mind that might change his outlook of her.

They had been living together for a couple months now, about half a year even. But nothing had changed in their relationship the whole time. Lucy knew that part of it was her closing off the idea that she had feelings for Naruto for the longest time, and she could help but laugh at how childish she was back then. But now she knew that she wasn't the only one after his heart, and she had to act now!

Smack!

With one final push Lucy managed to skim Naruto's lips for a brief second before she fell back, landing on the floor with steam coming off her forehead. She smiled crookedly and had one final thought before her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

'I was a fool…'

When Lucy pushed forward, Naruto had reflexively pushed forward as well to match her movements and resulted in them smashing their foreheads together. That was a trained fighter for you.

"Ow… Sorry Lucy, are you okay? Um… Lucy?"

Naruto said while rubbing his now red forehead. But when the girl failed to respond, he raised and eyebrow and looked her over. When he saw Lucy was out cold, Naruto's face paled.

"I'm so dead…"

"Hahaha! You knocked her out cold! In a pocky game! Hahaha!"

Natsu said as he pointed at Naruto while with laughter, which by the way, was still nude.

"Idiot." x2

Gray and Carla said in unison, causing Naruto's ears to turn red in frustration.

"Hm. Looks like Lucy isn't able to play anymore. But we can still play, even without them all."

Erza said and picked the unconscious Lucy off the ground.

'Demon…'

The rest thought as Erza carried Lucy over to her bed, then placed Wendy, and eventually Juvia onto it as well.

Lucy: Retired.

* * *

 **A Few Rounds Later…**

"Me again!"

Erza chimed and began to think of another request.

'This has gone far enough!'

Gray thought and looked at Naruto, who nodded upon noticing the ice mage's glance.

It was now down to Gray, Naruto, and Natsu. Cana was gone, Wendy, Lucy, Carla, and Juvia were out of commission. Carla had been taken out earlier when Erza said she had to finish the leftover food, and Happy's half eaten fish was part of it. The poor cat passed out after the second bite.

It was a miracle they made it this far, but they had to do something before their luck ran out!

Erza had just finished making Natsu dance in the nude, and just as they were about to draw for the next round Gray put his other hand under the table near Erza's legs and released just enough magical power to create a small chill.

Erza shivered when she suddenly felt cold.

"It's gotten cold in here… Is the window still open?"

'Now!'

Naruto thought as the red head glanced at the window, and used the Transformation technique to change the numbers of the sticks.

Erza shrugged when she saw that the window was closed and pulled her stick out of the cup and looked at it. The stick showed the number three on it.

"Hm. Looks like I'm not the guild master this time. Oh well. Who's the guild master?"

Gray stood up, a smirk on his face as he glanced at his partner in crime.

'Nice work Naruto! Sorry Erza, but I saw what your number was. Time to get revenge!'

"Keh! Gray's the guild master? We're safe now!"

Natsu taunted in attempt to get a reaction out of his rival. He didn't know about their plan, so Naruto and Gray chose to ignore him.

"The worst Gray would be able to do is probably something like making all the girls strip like him, cause he's a closet pervert!"

Resisting the urge to make the loudmouthed dragon slayer suffer, Gray pointed towards the bathroom.

"Numbers three and one, strip and take a bath together!"

"EHHH!?"

Naruto shouted in surprise as he looked at Gray with a look of betrayal because his stick had the number one.

Gray sent the jinchuuriki a dismissive look, as if to say 'don't worry, she won't actually do it'. Because he didn't actually expect Erza to actually go through with something so embarrassing. Although it would have been better if he had chosen Natsu's number instead…

Erza glanced at Naruto with a neutral expression, before she stood up and started stripping.

"W-wait, Erza!? You can't be serious! I was just pulling your leg for revenge!"

Gray said and lunged at the girl to stop her from taking her clothes off, all the while Natsu was laughing at them.

"Let go! Grow a par would you!? I would be going against the rules if I don't!"

Naruto looked between Erza and Gray, debating whether or not he should help constraint the drunken knight. But ultimately, he decided to run when Gray's unconscious form hit the floor.

Natsu jumped to his feet, a feral grin on his face. Considering he was still nude, one would say it was entirely inappropriate.

"Fighting Naruto and Erza in the same day? Alright!"

Turning tail, Naruto climbed onto Lucy's bed, making sure not to step on the sleeping girls. He was about to open the window and jump out when he felt something grab his leg.

"Mmm… More of Naruto-Sama… Scent…"

Juvia moaned in her sleep, and it would have been adorable if it weren't for the blood that started gushing from her nose.

"You better get away from the window… Otherwise Juvia might be in trouble."

Naruto broke into a cold sweat, but reluctantly did as he was told and backed away from the window and off the bed. Turning around, he saw both Gray and Natsu were out cold on the floor. It was now down to Erza and him.

"W-we don't have to do this, know? Everyone's asleep now and-"

"Strip. Now."

Erza said and pointed to the bathroom.

Seeing as there was way out of this, Naruto walked towards the bathroom while taking his clothes off. First his Santa hat, then his shirt, then his pants. He was finally standing in the bathroom, down to his boxers, when he heard the door close behind him. His heart raced as he heard the sound of clothes falling to the floor.

"Turn on the water."

Naruto reached for the faucet and turned it to hot, letting the water fall into the tub. Steam began to pick up in the small room as the tub was about half-way filled.

"Take them off, and get in."

Naruto gulped, but at this point there was no use arguing. Maybe Erza would get cold feet?

…Please?

Naruto took off his boxers and stepped into the bath, wincing a bit at the hot water. But it felt nice.

How did it come to this? How did he go from having his first Holiday party with his friends, to bathing with Erza!? Who, by the way, was drop-dead gorgeous. It took all of his mental prowess NOT to look at her.

Wait. Why wasn't he looking at her? She sure got a full view of him, and she made him get into this tub! It would only be fair to look at her!

Naruto creaked his head to his right, got a full view of Erza's naked form walking towards the tub, and snapped it the opposite direction.

'Holy shit! I'm going to die here tonight! Lucy! Save me!'

"I'm getting in…"

Erza said in a soft voice as she stepped into the water.

"O-Ok(NOOOOOOOOO)…"

The stimulation was killing him, and resisting his primal urges with sheer willpower was causing his vision to fade. But he refused to black out! He couldn't pass out now! Not after all the things Erza had done to them tonight! That's right! He still had to get back at Erza for putting everyone thought that crazy game of hers!

But as soon as that resolve came, it was gone in an instant when Erza sat down in front of him, and leaned her back against his chest. Naruto's eyes were spinning. Her hair was right underneath his nose god damn it!

"This bathtub is rather small…"

Erza mumbled as she shuffled her shoulders in attempt to get comfier.

"Y-yeah(stop moving stop moving stop moving!)…"

Naruto said meekly, but his inner voice was screaming for the girl to cease her movements because she was rubbing against him.

Originally in Naruto's mind, he saw Erza as the strongest female warrior in Fairy Tail who happened to also be beautiful. But also, a girl that was untouchable due to her hard personality. Never in his right mind did he ever expect to be put into a situation like this!

He was naked, and so was she. He was in a small bathtub, with Erza laying against his chest. She was right under his nose, and Naruto didn't want to be a creep, but she smelled good too! It was becoming too much for him, and he was way past his limit!

But before he passed out, he had to ask…

"Hey Erza, um… Why did you do all this today? I mean the game, all the crazy commands, and this…"

Naruto asked, but Erza stayed silent. She didn't say anything for a couple, and Naruto found himself counting the drops of water that came out of the faucet to pass the time. He thought that she might have fallen asleep when Erza finally spoke.

"Sorry about all of this… I guess when I saw you and Juvia getting along so well, I kind of lost it a little."

'A little?'

Naruto thought with a bitter smile, but he kept that to himself.

Why would Erza lose it when she was the one who said for Naruto to-

Naruto's eyes widened in realization.

"Is it because Jellal didn't come?"

When he felt the girl tense, he knew he hit the marker. So it was Jellal's fault he was in this situation! Bastard…

"Heh… I really am childish, aren't I? Making such a big deal over not spending a lot of time with him, even though I was the one who told him to work hard to repay for his sins."

Erza said in an almost whispered voice, and Naruto frowned. How could he have been so blind? This whole time, Erza had been wearing a mask. She had been smiling during the party, but it was nothing but a lie. She wasn't truly enjoying herself, because Jellal wasn't there.

"But… I wish he could have at least taken a break to-!"

Erza stopped mid-sentence when she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her stomach. A massive blush creeped its way on her face. Was Naruto making a move on her!? No, it only made sense…. After all, she was the one who made the guy strip and get into a bathtub with her! She wasn't mentally prepared for this! She had to stop him!

"Aha… Aba… ha…"

It was no use! Her voice was dead!

While Erza was having a mental crisis, Naruto spoke in a slightly awkward voice.

"I want to punch that guy in the face for making you feel lonely… But just so you know, you aren't alone Erza. If you ever feel like this again, and that bastard Jay is out on a mission again, just come on over. I'll make sure you don't feel lonely."

Had Naruto said that to any other girl, they would have misunderstood his intensions entirely. But not Erza. She always took everyone's words at heart, and knew Naruto's intensions were pure.

For the first time that night, Erza smiled. No mask, but a true smile.

"Thank you, Naruto…"

"Glad I could help!"

Naruto said and laughed sheepishly.

'Of course… Because you're the only other person in this world I can lean on.'

Erza thought before she leaned all the way back, resting her head on his chest. At that moment, she truly felt safe and felt more relaxed than she had felt in a long time.

"U-um… Erza?"

Naruto stuttered at the sudden movement, but his response was a series of soft, even breaths. It seemed she fell asleep in his arms.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. Training in the morning, fighting Natsu before the party, surviving Erza's game, and then this. Yeah, he was exhausted.

'I guess I'll… Sleep… too…'

Naruto thought and eventually dozed off as well, with Erza still laying against him.

Erza: Retired.

* * *

 **Christmas Morning…**

"I'm back to reclaim my love!"

Happy declared and flew into Lucy and Naruto's shared apartment through the window. It was the morning after the party, and it barely after sunrise so the little cat flew in to see the mass of unconscious bodies littered around the room.

"Eh? What happened?"

Happy said as he landed and walked around the room to investigate. Lucy, Juvia, and Wendy were all sleeping on the bed, Natsu was naked piled on top of Gray, and Carla was sleeping next to fish…

"I saw Cana walking through the town last night with a bunch of guys, but where is Naruto and Erza?"

When he didn't see the two in the main room, the little cat looked to the bathroom. The door was cracked open. Walking up to the door, Happy opened it enough to fit his head inside and gaped at what he saw.

'Th-th-this is…!'

Pulling his head out of the door, he ran over to a cabinet with a series of drawers on it. Opening one of the drawers, he pulled out a small black object then scurried back to the bathroom.

'Hehehe… This will teach Naruto not to mess with love!'

Happy thought and clicked a button on the device he was holding, and it made a clicking sound. Smiling deviously, the blue cat left the bathroom and sprouted his wings.

'Now I gotta find Jason and-Gah!'

Happy was about to take off and exit through the window when something grabbed his tail, preventing him from flying away.

"Hello Happy, what have you got there?"

Happy began to sweat bullets when he heard a calm, yet eerie voice behind him. Daring to turn his head around, he looked back to find Naruto staring down at him with neutral expression… And he was in Sage Mode.

The sage was naked, with water still dripping off his body which led Happy to believe he must have woken up to the camera clicking when he took the picture.

"You didn't see anything. Right?"

Naruto said in an even voice, and raised his hand expectantly.

Happy merely nodded and placed the camera lacrima onto the teen's hand. He was so close too!

"Good."

Naruto said and sealed the camera into a seal he kept on his arm for good measures. But in his mind, he was thanking the gods that he had woken up right when Happy had taken the picture. Otherwise word of him spending a night with Erza would have gotten out, and he would have been hunted for it!

But it was all over now, and it was Christmas morning.

Naruto would hold the memories of his first holiday party with his friends close to his heart for the rest of his life.

Placing the cat onto ground, Naruto wrapped a towel around his waist.

"I guess we should wake the others and-"

Naruto stopped talking when a series of memories hit his mind like a truck. After processing some of the images, his eyes went wide.

"Blurgh!"

"Naruto!?"

Happy watched with a mortified expression when Naruto fell back, with blood gushing out of his nose. Rushing over to the twitching blonde, Happy looked over his body for any signs of what could have caused such a reaction.

"What happened!?"

"C-Cana… C-clones… W-why… Guh!"

Naruto mumbled before passing out.

Naruto: Retired.

* * *

 **A/N: I can't stop imagining Juvia singing Santa Baby now…**

 **This was officially the longest chapter I have ever written! Ten-thousand words! XD**

 **Also, be sure to check out The Lost Scrolls if you haven't already. Or maybe even A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World if you're a fan of KonoSuba!**

 **The Fox Scroll update: I know I've been keeping you guys waiting, and again, I apologize. I've been having a lot of fun writing my other story and talking about KonoSuba with everyone. I have also been going back and revising the past chapters to adopt my new writing style, so that'll be a thing when I'm finished! Hopefully I won't keep you all waiting for too much longer. I thank you for your patience.**

 **Merry Christmas everyone, and have a happy new year. :)**


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